


The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson x Reader)

by thebonggirll



Series: Percy Jackson x Reader [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), F/M, International Fanworks Day 2021, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 47,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebonggirll/pseuds/thebonggirll
Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is a fourteen-year-old girl who recently discovered about the existence of greek gods, specifically, that she is a demigod. Although, she is unaware of her godly parent.About six months later a boy with sea green eyes, Percy Jackson joins them. They get aquainted soon when both realize that neither of their parents claimed them. But the start of the friendship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.Percy was set on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, he must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction - Zeus' master bolt. Y/N came forward to help and assist them, unable to handle the tension of staying unknowledgeable about the quest and letting her friends go in this dangerous quest. And ofcourse, hoping to find her godly parent.Along the way, they must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop them. Most of all, Y/N must come to terms with a parent who didn't claim her, and the call of her heart that yearns for something more from a friend.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan/Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson/Reader
Series: Percy Jackson x Reader [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072649
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	1. Disclaimer

_**Percy,**_ _ **Annabeth**_ _ **and all the other characters are older. They are 14 year old when they arrive at Camp Half-Blood**_. _**All other characters are older by 2 years accordingly.**_

This is a work of fanfiction using characters from the Percy Jackson series, which is written by Rick Riordan.

The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of Rick Riordan's story. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.

All the characters are created and owned by Rick Riordan, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Percy Jackson. But I do claim ownership of some of the characters added by the author of this fanfiction for the progress of the story.

 **This book or any portion thereof may not be** **reproduced** **or used in any manner whatsoever or without the permission of the publisher. Plagiarism or duplication of my ideas are prohibited and will be reprimanded if found.**


	2. Chapter 2

It happened too fast, and she didn't register it all yet.

She was running alongside with her friend Alex, who wasn't who she thought he was. Was there any sign? Wait no, scratch that. There were too many signs but she chose to believe there wasn't. I mean, no one could blame her for it right? She was considered a trouble maker for as long as she remembers. Changing schools too often. The signs were all there.

Y/N Y/L/N is a fourteen year old girl leading a normal life. Well, if you call having to change multiple schools for causing accidents and then getting expelled normal. But it was the longest she spent on this current school, almost a full year. Only two months until the final exams and she would complete a whole year. She was sure to stay alone with her only friend, Alex and away from everyone.

She was returning home to her family, who never seemed to be mad at her despite causing so much trouble. Her step-father, worked in a bank, and you would think this is enough to afford a good place but nope. Her home was in a dingy, crowded and closed area - where every person worked hard everyday, streets were busy, houses were unrepaired with broken water pipes and trash everywhere that caused a stench. But she didn't have complaints about it. Her neighbours were nosy, but nice people. And her parents were already losing a lot of money on her for changing schools so frequently. She was happy and felt blessed to have a home where she could be herself.

Because her experience in school was awful. Getting humiliated and laughed at in front of the whole class was kind of a daily routine to her. But she was glad for not being bullied as bad as the other students. And the reason was because of her voice. Y/N was always the lead singer. She wasn't exactly trained to be a singer, but when she started singing, it captured everyone's attention. It was a good publicity stunt for the school's image too, since she was dyslexic with ADHD. So they had no complaints, except for those in the team.

But let's get back to her current situation. It happened when she was returning home from her school and she felt someone was following her. Her home might've been in a crowded place but in order to reach there, she had to pass through a dark road. Soon she started walking faster and then running, and the footsteps behind her sounded inhumane, too loud and like a huge person was following her. She looked back to observe his face and slammed onto someone.

"What the heck are you doing here!" Alex asked pulling her along and running, "I've been calling you for hours!"

"I had music class, um, so I was late and my battery ran out!" Y/N said, "THIS IS MY WAY HOME, I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT?!"

"There isn't much time to explain," he said and looked behind, "don't freak out okay? J-just follow me."

"I'm glad you're here but this isn't my way home Alex! Where are you taking me?!"

"I told you not to freak out!" he said and turned right to the main road. He looked around as if he was searching for someone when Y/N's father pulled up with a cab.

"Get in!" he said.

"Dad?"

"Just get in!" he said and both of them entered the cab, which sped up.

"What is happening? Is mom okay?"

"Ugh, I'm taking off these. It's hard to run with this man," Alex said and pulled off...

his leg?

"Wha-" Y/N started freaking out looking at his friend's legs, which were now replaced with cloven hooves and-

BONK!

Alex hit her with his fake leg and she finally passed out.

* * *

When Y/N woke up, unfortunately with a bump on her forehead, she was still in the cab, parked on a hill. Before she started freaking out again her father rested his hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down saying, "Look, we don't have much time to explain but there's somewhere you need to go right now. There's a camp on the top of the hill there. You _need_ to stay there, okay? Trust me."

"Why? What-"

"Listen to me...it might sound bizarre because it did sound like it when I heard it too but...your father didn't leave you and your mother behind. It was necessary because he was a..." He glanced momentarily behind her, looking at Alex and then cleared his throat saying, "god. Like an actual god."

Y/N looked at her father like he lost his mind and this was some kind of a sick joke that he was playing but her father continued, "I know it's hard to register but all those bizarre things that you saw..were all true. Your mother is in the hospital right now getting patched up. We didn't exactly have much time and I needed to hurry-"

"You left her in the hospital?! Why-"

"These monsters are after you Y/N. It was the only thing I knew what would stop the monsters from...from ruining everything."

"What do you mean?"

"The whole neighbourhood suddenly got wrecked, how we don't have idea but it happened too fast. Most of the people think it was some kind of earthquake that ruined all of their homes but that wasn't it. Your mother called you but your phone was off."

"How is she! Is she-"

"She's fine...just a broken arm. But there are a lot of others who were injured worse. We don't even have a count of how many lost their lives."

"So...if I stay away...you will be..safe?"

"Y/N we need you to stay away for your own safety. They were here to kill you."

She looked at the empty driver's seat and then at her friend.

"Take your time-" her father said but was quickly interrupted by Alex and said, "No, they'll be here soon. We need to go. The driver is kind enough to give us some space."

"Well I kind of hired him to get to office everyday. So he listens to me if I have a request." Y/N looked at her friend's feet and was about to touch his leg when he bleated and said, "Don't touch."

She looked up at his face, and noticed the horns. "Wait, what are you?"

"I'm a satyr, uh, half human and half goat?"

"Is that why you tripped all the time? Because of-"

"We should go. I'll explain it on the way."

They got out of the cab and looked at the driver, who was smoking far away from the cab. She turned to her father, half of her still didn't believe what he said but he wouldn't lie about her mom like that. It must be something urgent. He hugged Y/N and kissed her forehead.

"Please stay safe. I need to go now."

"Yeah, I'll call you. Uh..take care of mom," Y/N said.

"Nope, you can't call," Alex informed, "Don't worry there's another way."

She watched her father wave her goodbye as he left with his cab. She started walking towards the camp and stared at her friend's legs.

"Stop staring," Alex said and jumped, "See? It's real. And...sorry about hitting you back there."

"Uh..yeah it just happened so fast. I'm still processing it. You mean to tell me...all these things about god is...real? Who's my father?"

"Greek god to be specific but oh well," Alex patted her back and said, "I'll answer your every question in the camp. Let's rest a bit first. We did just run away from a monster."

"Well then atleast tell me who's my father."

"I have a hunch but...I'm not the one who should answer it."


	3. Chapter 3

Six months has passed. In this short amount of time Y/N discovered a lot of things, and almost all of her doubts were cleared. First of all, satyrs exist in most schools, of course, keeping a lookout for a potential half-blood. 

In the camp, known as the Camp Half-Blood, the landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Alex's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and some of their horses had wings.

There's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves. The gods move with the heart of the West. The only greek god she actually saw in person was the camp director Dionysus, or Mr. D in short. He's small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple, and he wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. He offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits. The first time he was punished, it was prohibition for ten years. The second time he disobeyed, he was sent in Half-Blood Hill. And he was also thankfully, the person to warn her not to call the gods by their names.

There was a blond-haired girl, named Annabeth Chase who would often be seen leaning on the porch rail next to Mr. D and Chiron. She was the same age as Y/N, maybe a few inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking with her deep tan and her curly blond hair. Her eyes were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take someone down in a fight. She was the one often taking care of Y/N and mending her wounds whenever she got injured while training. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And whenever Y/N asked about why she was personally helping her, she would just look at her in pity.

Yes, eyes full of _pity_. She was used to it now. The most important question to her still remained unanswered. Apparently, after arriving in this camp, a half-blood is claimed by their godly parent within a few days. But that was not the case for Y/N. Six months has passed, and it felt like her parent wasn't going to claim her at all. She wasn't ready to give up though. After spending time at the camp, everyone had a good idea of who her father might be. But they didn't want to offend a god, so keeping their mouth shut was the best they could've done. 

As much as she wanted to keep being strong, a part of her was still hurt. But nothing could come out of it by talking. The only people she actually talked to was Luke and Annabeth. Luke Castellan is the counsellor of the Hermes cabin, and one of the most friendly guy she ever met. And the only times she talked to Annabeth was during training or while getting healed, which she started performing on her own after a while. Alex went on in search of another potential half-blood so he wasn't really there. It's not like everyone ignored her and didn't talk to her. They all did, even if some of them (Ares cabin to be specific) were mean. 

It's just that, there wasn't an exact group she fit in, even though the Apollo cabin kids were more than happy to include her in activities. She still had to stay in Cabin Eleven, with the other newcomers and undetermined kids. That was the Hermes Cabin, the god of travelers, and also god of thieves. She didn't have much except for the necessities that her step-father sent. He was sure to send their family picture and besides, these kids left her stuffs alone. She didn't have much to begin with.

Y/N discovered her abilities after a couple of weeks, and that's when everyone realized who her father might be. She trained with the people in Apollo cabin and a centaur named Chiron, and so far she's trained to be a pretty good archer and healer. Not the best, but definitely learning to be better at it. Music was the only thing that released her from all the stress and worries, but that also meant that when she was nervous, she started singing. 

Like right now, there was a fight going on outside the camp and Y/N couldn't help but hum a tune. Annabeth said some demigod was supposed to be here and it would be the only solution for turning the bad weather into a good one. Some of the year-rounders- Luke and Clarisse, Annabeth and a few others took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council. The weather got weird after their visit, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times, she has overheard satyrs talking and the only thing she knows is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. 

The boy with jet black hair and sea green eyes was brought in and taken care of by Y/N at times, when Annabeth couldn't be there. She was curious about him, cause he looked like the same age as her but he just fought a Minotaur. It was kind if a big deal for her.

Annabeth would often ask questions to the boy about summer solstice and the stolen item but he would just mutter something and drop off to sleep. Y/N asked her a couple of times about it, but Annabeth looked like she didn't trust her yet. Or maybe it was just her overthinking and Chiron told Annabeth that the information is absolutely confidential. 

Y/N felt it was cruel of Annabeth to immediately declare him as lucky to fight a Minotaur. Yes, a lot of demigods in the camp were eager to fight but according to what she heard from a sobbing Grover, he just lost his mother. Well, if you call bursting light and disappearing as death. Maybe he would be happy to know that she wasn't exactly dead. But then again, it was just a guess and she won't give him hope only to disappoint him later. 

She knows how it feels to think everything will be fine and then get your hopes crushed.

* * *

"Hey, the new kid's coming in now. Is his bunk ready?" Annabeth asked barging in Cabin Eleven in the girl's section. Y/N closed her storybook and walked up to her. 

"Yeah..I guess. How is he feeling?" Y/N asked.

"Better? I don't know but he's the one I think."

"The one who knows about who stole what?"

"How...how do you know about it?"

"I just heard people talk."

"Okay," Annabeth said clearing her throat, "I don't feel that great keeping this from you. I mean, you're the one I talk to most after Luke."

"You talk with everyone," Y/N chuckled watching her. Annabeth was never that great when it came to talking about her feelings. It was like that with Luke too. She talked about him most of the time but, Y/N didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"You know what I mean," Annabeth clutched Y/N's hand and pulled her towards the exit, "Now come on. You guys should get introduced too."

"I-I mean there's no need to be honest," Y/N said blushing. She wasn't great when it came to talking to strangers. She felt like they would judge her like everyone else immediately.

"Oh shut up. You helped him get well too. Keep the book and follow me," Annabeth said and walked out, holding on to her own book. 

It took them sometime to arrive because Chiron was giving Percy a tour of the summer camp. When they reached, Annabeth looked over at Percy critically, like she was still thinking about how much he drooled. Y/N heard complaints from her about it. The campers bowed down to Chiron respectfully. 

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." He galloped away toward the archery range.

Annabeth cleared her throat and started speaking, "Let me introduce you to the other person who healed you," she pulled Y/N forward and continued, "Y/N Y/L/N."

"Hello," Percy said observing her for a while. He looked at her hair tied up in a ponytail as she answered him with a hand wave in return. Annabeth signalled him towards the cabin.

Percy stood in the doorway, looking at the kids.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on. Y/N can explain more about the cabin to you later."

Percy tripped coming in the door. There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

Annabeth said, "Undetermined." Everybody groaned at that. There's wasn't much space but they had to make some room for him too.

Luke came forward and said, "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different. Y/N glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. This was exactly how Annabeth was. She found it difficult to tell that they are friends to people she was close to. Annabeth saw Percy looking at her, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

Percy looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given him. He had nothing to put there to mark it as his own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. He thought about setting that down, but then remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves. He then glanced at Y/N's face, who looked at him with eyes full of curiosity and maybe a little bit of amusement. 

He looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing him as if they were waiting for a chance to pick his pockets. "How long will I be here?" He asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?" He asked as the campers all laughed. Y/N shifted her weight to her left leg uncomfortably. He should know about it. Besides, she didn't think that he'll be left undetermined like her for months. Someone who defeated the Minotaur should be claimed. His father must be proud right?

"Come on, I-" Annabeth looked at Y/N and said, "We'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it."

"Come on." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside. They could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind him.

Y/N knew she was being told to join them. Again with the pity party. But it was better to join them than sit with these kids laughing it off. She didn't understand how some of them came in terms with the fact that they were unclaimed. It was like they got called in the camp, expecting to meet a bunch of new friends and leading a somewhat normal life but no. They were being disregarded and left out just like they were before.

She walked fast to catch up with the duo. Y/N thought of saying something before Annabeth lost her cool. She looked disappointed. Maybe she thought he's the one to solve this matter, but he wasn't. "Uh..sorry about that," Y/N said.

"Uh no worries but can you tell your friend to stop dragging me?" Percy said frowning at the blonde.

Y/N chuckled and said, "It doesn't work with her, trust me."

It felt like a breath of fresh air to Percy. Somehow Y/N's easy-going attitude managed to calm him down even for a little bit. After getting judgemental stares from everyone, she was the first one who talked to him normally.

"Sorry, what was your name again? Ouch-" Percy asked tripping on a stone as he was getting dragged by Annabeth, who seemed to not care if they were talking.

"My name is Y/N."


	4. Chapter 4

When they were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

"What's your problem?" Percy was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

Y/N stepped in between before the fight escalated and said, "Annabeth, hey, he JUST got here and.." she looked behind at him, "you know about his mother. There's a lot to process. It will take him time to understand. And I don't think he knows anything about..."

Percy moved aside and said, "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."

Percy thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-"

"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep," the girls said in unison.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth glanced nervously at Y/N, as if she expected her to do something and just make him understand without pissing him off.

Y/N looked at her face and turned to Percy, "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering? Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." Percy pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. She whipped her head at Y/N's direction, but her friend just smiled in return and started explaining to the boy.

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or...your parent."

Y/N stared at him, waiting for him to pop up another question and ultimately to the point where she has to talk about her father. But he was still confused.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," Percy said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead. I never knew him."

Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. 

Even with Y/N. This time though she waited for Y/N to do it. She wanted someone to take her place instead and show the newcomers around.

Y/N chuckled and said, "Your father's not dead, Percy."

"How can you say that? You know him?" He said, sounding defensive.

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say-"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How-"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too." Annabeth said.

Percy tried to swallow his embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like...you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar." Y/N explained. Annabeth always sounded like a know-it-all narcissist. Most newcomers hate that about her.

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

A half-blood. Percy was reeling with so many questions and he didn't know where to start. Y/N looked at him in concern. 

Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"

They looked over. Clarisse from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward them. She had three other girls behind her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though it was kind of a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward the boy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Come on, why can't you just leave newbies alone?" Y/N said furrowing her eyebrows.

"Ofcourse you would know about getting left behind, ain't that right?" Clarisse leaned down at her face, as if challenging her to fight and make the first move.

"And you would know about being a disappointment right?" Y/N spat back.

Before Clarisse had the chance to kill Y/N Annabeth decided to intervene and introduce them. "Percy Jackson, meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked. "Like...the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," he said, recovering from his wits. "It explains the bad smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Y/N though was getting angrier, and when she got really mad and started shouting, her pitch really hurt others. Like, literally. She didn't have control over it yet. But if she started shouting at Clarisse now, it would turn into a full-scale fight. She was about to march over and grab her arm, when Annabeth looked at her painfully, and muttered, "Stay out of it, he's the new kid. I don't want you to face another punishment." 

It was true. Y/N often got into a fight with Clarisse because of talking back to her, and naturally, everyone knew to stay away from Clarisse's temper. Luke and Annabeth tried to help but were only able to save her a few times. She was given extra duties, like cleaning everyone's dirty dishes, as punishment. 

Percy handed Y/N the minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before he knew it, Clarisse had him by the neck and was dragging him toward a cinder-block building that he knew immediately was the bathroom. He was kicking and punching. Percy had been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged him into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and he was thinking-as much as he could think with Clarisse ripping his hair out- that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns.

Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and Percy was trying to find the strength he'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed him towards one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

Her friends snickered.

Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers. Y/N couldn't bear to watch him and walked out of their cabin, huffing and humming a tune in anger. She was kind of glad that Clarisse never tried something like that on her, but still, watching a newbie get treated like that really grinded her gears. And the worst part is, all of these kids were demigods and weren't even a bit eager to help him out. She knew how it felt to be left out and helpless during meetings where Mr. D punished her while the Ares cabin snickered. She wanted to help him out. And maybe this time, she would get punished to do their dishes for a whole week but atleast her conscience would be clear. 

As soon as Y/N barged in the cabin again, getting ready to fight when a huge gush of water slammed on her face and body. She wiped her face and looked in awe at the scenario before her.

The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet too, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at the new guy in shock.

Percy was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around him. He didn't have one drop of water on his clothes. Nothing.

He stood up, his legs were shaky.

Annabeth said, "How did you..."

"I don't know."

Y/N rushed to his side and held his arm, he tried to fix his posture and stand straight but he still looked shaky. "Just put your weight on me. We get it," she chuckled, "you're strong." 

"No, I-I'm fine," Percy said to her, but let her hold his arm anyway. Maybe he was just a bit guilty of washing her up with toilet water along with others. They walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave him a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Percy probably should have let it go, but he said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at him, and then looked at Y/N. Percy couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at him for dousing her. But Y/N knew what that look meant. And she couldn't help but smile at that.

"What?" he demanded. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Annabeth said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."

"What?" Percy asked, turning to Y/N for some guidance.

"You'll understand. I'll explain it later," Y/N said walking towards cabin eleven with him, as Annabeth left to cabin six.

"Meanwhile," she said and as soon as Percy turned to her, she jumped up to hug him. He stood there dumbfounded with her little action. Kids were stopping to look at the two newbies hugging, so Y/N quickly released him and said, "That's payback for the toilet water."

"Oh," Percy said blushing. He never really hugged a girl before, except his mother. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"I'll call someone. They'll show you the boy's washroom," Y/N turned to leave and then looked back suddenly, "Percy!"

He looked up at her as she threw the Minotaur horn to him. 

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!"


	5. Chapter 5

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. After Percy changed and came back out, campers pointed at him and murmured something about toilet water.

Annabeth and Y/N showed him a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if they didn't get to the top fast enough.

Finally they returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault."

She looked at him skeptically and said, "You need to talk to the Oracle."

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron," Annabeth looked at Y/N, eyes holding some hope. Ofcourse, she wants to go on a quest. She's been waiting for so long.

"How is he supposed to know that?" Y/N said and turned to Percy with a smile, "It's just someone who kind of predicts the future? You'll get it later."

"And how is that even a proper explanation?" Annabeth sighed, "Anyways, I'm getting late. Y/N can tell you the rest."

She probably left because she wasn't that great in explaining things politely, but mostly cause Percy did annoy her with his sassy comments. In these instances, Y/N's bright smile calmed people down instead of overwhelming them any more than they already are. Besides, Annabeth wanted someone to take her place in taking care of the newcomers. She felt like Y/N was a good candidate for it, and she wouldn't lose her cool that easily.

Percy stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give him a straight answer for once. He wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at him from the bottom, so his heart skipped a beat when he noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if he was a long-lost friend.

He didn't know what else to do and waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Y/N warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," Percy repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."

Y/N sighed, "Sorry, I'm getting used to this too. But don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."

"Half-human and half-what?"

"I think you know."

Percy didn't want to admit it, but he did. He felt a tingling in the limbs, a sensation he sometimes felt when his mom talked about his dad.

"God," he said. "Half-god."

Y/N nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's...crazy."

"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"But those are just-" Percy almost said myths again. Then he remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, he might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids here are half-gods-"

"Demigods," she said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

"Then who's your dad?"

Y/N's hands tightened around the pier railing. Percy got the feeling he'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.

"I...I don't know. I have an idea, well we all do but I'm still..." she cleared her throat and said, "undetermined. Uh, maybe cabin seven? And my mom is human. Well, Annabeth's dad is a professor in West Point. I can't tell you the details, but maybe she'll tell you at some point."

"He's human."

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive?"

"Who's her mom, then?"

"Cabin six."

"Meaning?"

Y/N straightened and smiled, "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle. She's incredible, you've got no idea."

"And my dad?"

"Undetermined," Y/N said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows."

"Except my mother. She knew."

"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad would have. He loved her."

Y/N gave him a cautious look. She didn't want to burst his bubble. She can't outright say that he might face what she's facing. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."

"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"

Y/N ran her palm along the rail. "As far as I know, the gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always...Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."

"And you are one?"

Y/N wished he wouldn't be so blunt about it. It hurt to know that your parent don't have time or care enough to claim you.

Percy thought about some of the kids he'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. He'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better.

"So-sorry. So I'm stuck here," Percy said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"

"It's fine. You didn't know. Also, it depends," Y/N said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?"

Y/N shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights. Practical jokes."

"Practical jokes?"

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

"So...you're a year-rounder?"

"I just arrived a few months ago," she said. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace "Every August, on the last day of summer session, the campers get a bead for surviving another year. Annabeth has been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why did she come so young?"

"Well," Y/N chuckled, "I don't know. She didn't tell me either. You've been awfully interested in her."

"Oh I'm just curious" Percy stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So...I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless..."

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens."

"Do you know something about summer solstice? I mean, back in the sick room," he said, "when Annabeth and you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia."

"Yeah. She asked me something about the summer solstice."

Y/N's shoulders tensed, and asked "Um, do YOU know something?"

"Well...no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"

She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. I don't have much idea. Even Annabeth doesn't and she hates it. Maybe they aren't telling her because of me? She said it was okay when she went to Olympus."

"Hold on! She's been to Olympus?!"

Y/N explained it to him about the big annual council meeting. She sighed at the end of it and said, "See, when you came, Annabeth was hoping...I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, she thought both of you could work together. She thought you might know something."

Percy shook his head. He felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Take your time to understand things, but...it will be better if you were fast. Because...you know, it's you. Annabeth wanted a quest and she thinks she's not too young," Y/N chuckled, "Now that I think about it, she thought that you can be her chance to get a quest. She thought that she can make plans and find a solution if they would just tell her the problem in hand...Maybe that's why she wanted to form an alliance with the son of-"

Y/N shut up immediately. Percy was too hungry to pin point those words. He could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. She heard his stomach growl and laughed.

"Come on," Y/N said pulling him by his wrist and as if to save him from the embarrassment, she added, "I'm hungry."

Percy rubbed the back of his head with his left hand and looked at the path, instead of her face. He was indeed embarrassed.

As they walked towards the familiar cabin, he said, "So...didn't you try to find out your...?"

"Oh, yeah I didn't really. I mean, I want to but like I said, getting a quest is a rare chance. Besides, I wanted to find it out between quests cause frankly, no one in their right mind would give a quest to solve their daddy issues." Y/N realized her words and gasped, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I meant my dad-"

"I get it. What about your mom?"

"My mom's a housewife, used to be a piano teacher. And...I don't know who my real father is. I just knew he walked out on me and my mom when I was a baby. My mom never said it but by the way she talked about him, I just assumed that by 'he is a very busy man', she meant he left us behind." Y/N blushed and said, "Sorry, you probably find it annoying to hear me."

"No! It's okay...I, um, you can tell me...if you feel comfortable."

That's right, Y/N realized it only when Percy said it but...she felt comfortable around him. Luke was friendly, sure, but she couldn't be open about herself before. What did Percy have that he didn't? Maybe it was because he was also new to all this and it felt comforting that he was as confused as she was. He actually paid attention to what she was saying....unlike the others. She couldn't blame them though. All of them were too busy.

"Well, nothing. You just got here and so, long story in short, my mother later met a man when I was 5 years old and got married." Y/N smiled, "He knows about all this and...oh, we're here."

Percy looked at cabin eleven in front of him. He didn't realize that he was still hungry. Their walk turned into a stroll while they were talking. Percy looked at his right hand, still gripped by the girl who nursed him.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "I can't go in my room with you holding me like this."

Y/N blushed and immediately released his hand. With a chuckle, Percy entered the cabin and disappeared from her sight. Her cheeks were still rosy. It wasn't the same with Luke. He was like someone to look up to.

But _Percy_.

There was definitely something different about him, that just made her...look out for him and want to take care of him.

Or she was just overthinking. Yep, that has to be it.


	6. Chapter 6

A horn blew in the distance. It was a conch shell.

Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"

The whole cabin, about twenty of them, filed into the commons yard. They lined up in order of seniority, so of course Percy was dead last. Although, his mood was sour, hearing a familiar voice lightened it up a bit.

"Hey, don't look so gloomy. I was the last one for six whole months before you!" Y/N came jogging towards him, "I'm the second-last now."

"Oh," Percy moved back to let her enter, "where were you?"

"In the arena, practicing archery."

They looked forward. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down.

They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods - one girl, about nine or ten years old, melted from the side of a maple tree and came skipping up the hill.

In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. Percy had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half of his butt hanging off. He tried his best to make space for Y/N, who was sitting uncomfortably sandwiched between them.

"You can see why some of them in Hermes cabin didn't like it when you joined," Y/N grunted pushing the boy to his left.

"Yeah..It's too congested," Percy said, "But I guess the girl section is more comfortable. There's not many of you girls in here."

"Not really," Y/N sighed, "We have a pretty small room for ourselves."

Percy saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair.

Clarisse sat behind him at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! Percy's glass was empty, and Y/N said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course."

While Percy ordered a blue cherry coke in the memory of his mother, Y/N thought for a while and muttered, "Eh whatever," and spoke to the glass, "Coke." The guy beside her passed a plate to her.

"Here you go, Percy," Y/N said, handing him a platter of smoke brisket.

She loaded her own plate and then did helped Percy with the rest of it. He was about to take a big bite when he noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion.

"Come on," Luke told, passing by him.

Everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.

Luke walked next to Percy and murmured in his ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."

"You're kidding."

His look warned him not to take this lightly, but he couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."

Y/N nudged Percy with her elbow, telling him to follow her and went ahead next. "Apollo." She scraped some sandwiches into the flames.

Percy just wished he knew what god's name to say. Finally, he made a silent plea, " _Whoever you are, tell me. Please._ " He scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames.

It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for their attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."

Chiron murmured something.

"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everybody cheered. They all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. They sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around. Besides, it felt great for him when no one was staring at him anymore. It finally _felt_ like home.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Percy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the face in front of her. He couldn't help but smile a little. Her whole demeanor was so bright, no one could help but smile at that.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just- I saw you sing along," he said as the girl sat beside him.

"Sorry, it's a lot to digest I guess."

"I'm sure you felt the same. I noticed you offer your food to...Apollo?"

Y/N blushed, "Oh you heard that? Yeah, I'm way too blunt about it right? There's nothing to hide to be honest."

"But...don't you feel angry? Cause I'm.." he sighed.

"Angry?" she clenched her fist, "I am a bit. But, I think he has a lot in his hands right? I mean, Annabeth says god are busy. I'm sure they are."

"Busy enough to not claim your _own child_?" Percy's voice sounded accusatory, like he wasn't talking about her alone.

"....I'm trying not to get used to it. That's what is keeping me going other than my own family. I mean, I don't exactly have a choice here, do I? I kind of have to do this for the safety of my family."

"So you're accepting this?"

"No, ofcourse not. I want to meet him just like everyone else in this camp. I'm not special." she fidgeted, "But, since I don't have much hope about getting a quest, I try my best in being useful...to the camp."

" _Useful_?" Percy wanted to shout at her and say how she's the only person who made him feel welcome in the camp, the only one who made it a bit easy for him. Loads more than everyone was with their twisted words.

"Yeah..." she smiled, "I...won't be much help when it comes to gather information about this camp or whatever's going on right now but if you need help, you can count on me. We are friends right?"

Percy felt happy. This was probably the first time, someone other than Grover who wanted to be his friend. He nodded and looked at the kids laughing and joking around, inspite of the problem stirring over their heads.

Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and they all filed back to their cabins.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days Percy settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that he was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Each morning he took Ancient Greek lessons from Annabeth, and they talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. He discovered Annabeth was right about his dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, he could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache.

The rest of the day, he'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something he was good at. The only thing he really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur.

The senior campers and counselors were watching him, trying to decide who his dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. 

Despite all that, he liked the camp. Percy got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. 

Y/N would tag along and talk to him, make him feel at home. She didn't know if it was overwhelming for him, she just hoped not. Cause, the outdoor activities clearly wasn't for him. At times, she would tell him to throw something up in the sky, and she would try to aim and shoot it with her arrow. 

She nailed it everytime.

She would often tell dad jokes that she heard from her step-father. It made Percy a bit jealous considering how awful his step-father was, but it looked like Y/N genuinely felt happy to talk about them. Surely, she missed them a lot.

He would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of his meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to his real dad. Nothing came. Just that warm feeling he'd always had, like the memory of his smile. He tried not to think about his mother, but he still did. Y/N assured him that he will contact him soon, but she wasn't sure that she was the right person to talk about this to him. But she tried her best. 

Percy started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. He just wondered how Y/N had it all together. How she _still_ managed to remain positive inspite of not getting any kind of signal from her father.

Thursday afternoon, three days after he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he had his first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be their instructor. And he finally found something he was good at. Percy, actually defeated Luke in a sword fight, even with unbalanced swords. 

Y/N noticed all of it. Well, she observed him a lot. She didn't know what it was, but Percy was his new friend and watching him getting used to the camp was a bit funny. Specially when Chiron tried to teach him archery and later had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail. But, he didn't complain. 

Ofcourse it was amusing. But when he defeated Luke in a sword fight, it made her think. Annabeth was right about him being useful in their team. He might be good, except there was also a lot of risk considering the way he picked a fight with Clarisse on his first day. He was interesting.

She approached him in the amphitheatre, when he was sitting alone. 

"How are you catching up?" Y/N asked, "Congrats on your win against Luke! You're good at it!"

"Well, after losing so many times? I don't know."

"Hey, for someone to actually defeat that guy in a sword fight is a big deal for me," Y/N smiled, "Trust me, I lost way more times than you did."

"You can fight with a sword?"

"Uh..I'm practicing? I'm not that good." Y/N said as he looked back at her with a smile. Her heart did a flip. 

" _What was that?_ " she thought. She brushed it off pretty quickly thinking it has to be because he was her first guy friend who spent a lot of time together. She cleared her mind and continued, "I heard from Grover about...your mother. I mean, I don't mean to pry but you...you're thinking that you can bring her back?"

Percy stayed quiet. Y/N nervously said, "Sorry, I mean. Look don't get your hopes up. But...I feel like..I mean...I heard how she vanished."

He looked at her. He looked a bit mad. Maybe she landed on a touchy subject. But he was her friend...and she wanted him to know something that she thought about the situation.

" _Vanished_ , Percy. Why did she burst like that? That's not exactly how mortals...you get what I mean?" 

His face changed colour, some hope. Y/N didn't know whether what she said would make him mad at her later. 

"But, I also came here just a few months ago. I can be wrong about it."

* * *

Annabeth has been coming up with plans for capture the flag. It did involve Percy and it looked like he might also get hurt in the process. At first Y/N tried to tell her to find another way, but she reassured her saying, "Hey, you can cure him if he did gets hurt." And she couldn't complain.

Besides, Annabeth's plans never failed.

The day arrived and Y/N was in her cabin when Annabeth knocked on the door.

"I'm ready!" she said, as Annabeth came in.

"Wait," Annabeth said, "Look, I get it you're close to Percy but I hope you didn't tell him about our plans."

Y/N blushed and stuttered, "C-Close? I just thought we are new kids here so we should get along. Besides, you don't trust me?"

She smirked and said, "You are spending a lot of time with him. Like more than anyone else. Everyone has noticed."

"Wait...do they think...that I'm _hitting_ on him or something?"

"Not everyone, but just the Aphrodite cabin." Annabeth chuckled, "I'm glad you found a friend. Trust me, it's a relief to see you talk to someone and get involved cause.."

"I know, I find it hard to get along with people but I try my best. Besides," Y/N smiled, "Percy made it easier for me too."

"Hey, not to be...rude but you really don't like him _that_ way?"

Y/N blushed and said, "N-No! How did you come to that conclusion? We just...get along really well. And he's funny when you get to know him. We share our tragedy stories of our schools too."

"Fine...then just tell me something. Did you ever sing to him? Or while thinking of him? Hum a tune or something? Just asking."

"No, why?" Y/N asked surprised, "I mean, we do spend time. But we don't have THAT much time to sing along and take a break."

Annabeth smirked and said, "Okay, let's go."

"Why did you ask though?"

"Nothing, just wanted to know if he ever heard you sing solo."

"Well, okay." Y/N said and walked out of the cabin with Annabeth following her closely behind. 

It might not ever cross Y/N's mind, but Annabeth observed something that she didn't. This girl sang to people who were close to her. So far, only Alex, Luke and her got the chance to hear her sing. And both of them heard a tune, that made them _feel_ the music, and how great it was to be friends with her. 

Annabeth just wanted to know if her friend sang it to the seaweed brain. Whether it was the same tune, or something different. It would all be clear to her then.


	8. Chapter 8

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and all stood at their tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head. Y/N was adjusting her weapons, which just included her sword and arrows. She looked at him from the distance and gave a nervous smile to Percy. She quickly looked away though, afraid of letting him see through her. She knew about Annabeth's plan and she wanted her to win against Clarisse. 

Percy turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," he said. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"

He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?"

He gave Percy a sly look, as if he knew something he didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help," Luke said.

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support. Y/N already had enough of those after picking fight with Clarisse so she decided it was better to work it the way Annabeth wanted.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped.

Y/N wondered if they were actually talking about her and Percy. Annabeth did say they were and she wouldn't lie about something like this..right? She blushed at the thought and sighed, hoping to clear her mind before they started. 

Hephaestus's kids were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. And lastly, Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest and meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. Y/N wanted them to be off the high pedestal they think they're in. She had no personal grudge against them ofcourse, but their arrogance ticked her off.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

They cheered and shook their swords, and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at them as they headed off toward the north.

Percy tried to search for Y/N but she was nowhere near. He wanted to know if there was some kind of plan, but she wasn't there to talk to. Reluctantly, he managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over his equipment and "Hey."

She kept marching.

"So what's the plan?" he asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"

Her hand drifted toward her pocket, "Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

"Border patrol, whatever that means."

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."

"Okay, w-well can you atleast tell me where is Y/N?" he asked.

"She's busy. Don't distract her," she looked at him with what looked like judgemental eyes, and pushed ahead, leaving him in the dust.

"Okay," Percy mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team."

It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed Percy next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.

Y/N was hidden in the branches of a tree nearby. She silently aimed and took down several members of the red team. Well not exactly kill them ofcourse, they tried to find her but thankfully the Ares cabin wasn't as smart as Athena. She had to move from her position time to time. 

On the other hand, Percy heard the conch horn blew far away. He heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past him like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.

" _Great_ ," he thought, " _I'll miss all the fun, as usual._ "

Then he heard a sound that sent a chill up his spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. He raised his shield instinctively; he had the feeling something was stalking him. Then the growling stopped. He felt the presence retreating.

On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed. They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. 

He managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. They surrounded him, and Clarisse thrust her spear at him. His shield deflected the point, but he felt a painful tingling all over his body. His hair stood on end. His shield arm went numb, and the air burned.

Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. Percy fell back.

While Percy was busy fighting half of Ares' cabin, Y/N was busy fighting with a red team member. She dodged his swing and swung her foot on his leg, making him lose his balance. He fell and Y/N immediately kicked his...private area. Defence lessons from mortals were useful too.

As her opponent was screaming in pain, she heard yelling, elated screams, and saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. Y/N started running towards them, trying to get the red teams away from Luke. 

Percy was nearby. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory, their side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. They won.

Y/N huffed and walked towards Percy who was about to join the celebration. 

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" Annabeth asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

Percy felt angry. He wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up," he said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged. "You didn't need help."

"And you?" Percy turned to Y/N, "Did you know about this _plan_?"

Y/N smiled nervously and said, "Well...I've been avoiding you since morning if you hadn't noticed?" Then she noticed his wounded arm. "How did you do that?" 

"Sword cut," he said. "What do you think?"

"No. It was a sword cut." She held his arm to take a closer look, "Look at it." 

The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As he watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared.

"I-I don't get it," he said.

Annabeth was thinking hard. She looked down at his feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

"What-"

"Just do it."

Percy came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. Percy almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied him.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ."

"I mean...it can't be that bad?" Y/N said, she looked very nervous, for the first time. "I mean if Zeus did...others should...get a chance?"

* * *

By some miracle, Percy was still alive not only after Annabeth's plan, but also after a hellhound attacked him. But he was badly injured.

Chiron trotted up next to them, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

Y/N rushed towards Percy, her eyebrows creased in worry. "I-I don't...I don't know yet how to heal you. I'm not trained at this level."

"Y/N step aside," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

She understood her friend. If what they suspected was infact true then...he would heal pretty quickly. That's how it worked before right? Like the wound on his arm?

"I'm okay," Percy insisted.

"No, you're not," Y/N said. Her voice sounded stern, like an order from a teacher or instructor.

"Just do what I said," Annabeth said, "Chiron, watch this."

Percy was too tired to argue. He stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around him. Instantly, he felt better. The cuts on his chest were closing up. Some of the campers gasped.

"Look, I-I don't know why," Percy said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry...."

But they weren't watching his wounds heal. They were staring at something above his head.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um..."

A hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming above his head. A three-tipped spear: a trident.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around him, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"My father?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

* * *

Y/N was just afraid of this. Not that Percy got claimed by his father, good for him. But this _bitter_ feeling she got. She felt angry. It was coming, ofcourse, she knew he would get claimed but it still bothered her that he got claimed that quick while her father probably didn't even care.

Did he even care?

No, she shouldn't think like that. It's what kept her going. And even if he didn't claim her...she already has a step-father. He was more than enough. Infact, he is more of a father than... _he_ is.

Soon the area started getting cleared up. Percy got away from the water but immediately staggered, all of his energy was gone.

Y/N quickly held his arm and helped him walk with her support. "Let's go back. Chiron will...show you your cabin tomorrow," she said.

"Sorry.." Percy apologized.

"Why do you keep saying that?" she chuckled, "It's not your fault at all. You didn't ask for all this."

"Yeah but everyone just..."

"They have a reason but believe me, unlike Clarisse says, you are not responsible for this." She looked up at the sky. Ofcourse the weather was bad. Percy couldn't ask her about it, he was too tired to know about what's going on in her head.

"You know for a newbie, this whole week you've been way braver than I was." Y/N smiled, "I was...pathetic."

"Yeah you're just saying it to make me feel better," Percy chuckled.

"Is it working?" Y/N looked up at him. He was also a few inches taller than her. He looked down at her with a smile.

There was it again. That weird feeling. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat, "I tried to look cool and shot a fire arrow in the first week and almost burned someone's hair."

"No way," Percy laughed weakly.

"Uh huh, Chiron keeps telling the story to everyone. I'm surprised you didn't hear."

As they reached the cabin, she walked him towards his spot.

"This doesn't look comfortable," she muttered cleaning his area quickly, "you need good sleep."

"I think I'll be fine." Percy said.

Y/N got up and sighed, "Well then, good night," and was about to leave when he held her wrist and stopped her.

Once again, her heart did a flip. Why? Why now? He was gonna have his own cabin and will probably forget about her insignificant presence. It always happened to her.

"Thank you Y/N," he removed his hold and said, "I mean it. You...did make me feel better than anyone else."

Y/N offered him her best smile and said, "Like I said, I'm here for you."

As much as she wanted to deny this, she knew about it. She didn't want him to go. She didn't want her new friend to leave her like everyone else.

She didn't want to be left out.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Chiron moved Percy to cabin three.

He didn't have to share with anybody, ofcourse. He had plenty of room for all his stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. He got to sit at his own dinner table, pick all his own activities, call "lights out" whenever he felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.

And he was absolutely miserable.

Just when he'd started to feel accepted, he'd been separated out again.

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, they were all talking about it behind his back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that he was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill him. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.

The other campers steered clear of him as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with him after what he'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so his lessons with Luke became one-on-one. He pushed him harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise him up in the process.

Which he would heal with the help of the only nurse who was willing to help him, Y/N. But she wasn't as stern as she was back when he got injured by the hellhound. She smiled at him like she usually did, joked around too but something felt off about her. Something was bothering her. Percy decided to let it slide thinking maybe it was about her father again.

But the truth is...it wasn't just Percy who felt miserable about the situation. Y/N wasn't worried about Percy hurting her cause it was clear that it wasn't his fault. How would a newbie make a hellhound appear in the camp when he barely remembers the path or how things work here?

Her worry was something else. He got a whole cabin for himself, he was the son of Poseidon. She felt like being a son of one of the big three, he would leave her like the rest. But she wanted to hold on to this friend. If she was the kind to give up easily, her hope would've vanished after staying undetermined for six months. So she continued smiling at him like nothing happened.

Annabeth still taught Percy Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time he said something, she scowled at him. After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan ..." Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill him for breaking her magic spear. 

So the only person who tried to make it as much normal as possible for him was Y/N, although he felt like she was trying too hard. It wasn't necessary but most part of him was glad about it. He _needed_ someone to be like they were before.

* * *

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

Y/N was as usual with the Apollo kids, watching their match when she noticed Percy along with Grover walking towards the Big House. She suspected this. Ofcourse, he was...going to get a quest now. It was now or never. She wanted to go along with him. Well her main purpose was to find out her dad since it was clear that he would meet Zeus and therefore go up _there_. She wasn't sure if he would even be there but...she was sure that if she went, atleast someone will inform him about a half-blood looking for him? But that is if they didn't die before their quest.

For days, she was expecting a summon to the Big House. Now that Percy was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, she figured it was time for him to get a quest since he'll be the first suspect of the theft cause Poseidon and Zeus were fighting about something. He would go see the Oracle right? She once stumbled in the house accidentally. Okay, not accidentally but curiously? Yes, and she was terrified after seeing a mummy in there.

"Hey you wanna join?" one of the Apollo kids asked her and looked at the direction she was staring at. "I thought it was just a rumor?"

Y/N snapped her head towards him and said, "It is! He's....gonna get a quest."

"Aww worried about your boyfriend?"

"Ugh, leave me alone you privileged claimed assholes," Y/N spat the words and left the area followed by silence among the Apollo kids. She wanted to go along. He needs some help right? No one would really help him after what she saw the previous few days – that how they acted around him. When she reached nearer, Chiron turned to her.

"I assume you're here to hear about what the Oracle said? But...is there anything else?" There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. He probably knew her intentions. 

"Okay I know there's no point in hiding it. But I want to go," Y/N said.

"Look we all know you worry a bit _too_ much when it comes to him but I think it's a bad idea. We are dealing with actual gods here," Grover said.

"Exactly," Y/N immediately said, "You know why I want to go right?"

They heard footsteps and looked behind. Percy was done talking to the Oracle. She hoped he felt more scared of the mummy than her.

"Well?" Chiron asked him.

He slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen." He turned to Y/N and asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Everyone looked at her in silence and she cleared her throat, "Oh well I heard about your quest."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

Percy's ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice of the Oracle. "She...she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

He didn't want to tell him. There was more that the Oracle said. What friend would betray him? He didn't have that many. And the last line- He would fail to save what mattered most. How could he confess that?

"No," Percy said. "That's about it."

Chiron studied his face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

He got the feeling that Chiron knew he was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make him feel better.

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" he guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

Percy thought about his dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon... ."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Great," Percy muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."

"But a quest to..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

The poor guy needed to complete a quest with Percy so he could get his searcher's license, but how could he ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said he was destined to fail? This was suicide.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades-and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used."

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

Y/N flinched hearing that. It was like Percy's father only claimed him because he needed him. Well, that's sure how Percy felt right? She knew how much bitter he felt about his father.

Emotions rolled around inside Percy like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. He didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored him for fourteen years. Now suddenly he needed him.

He looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said...I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

Y/N quickly added, "We all had our...suspicions."

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

Percy looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," he told him. "I can't ask that of you.

"Oh..." He shifted his hooves. "No...it's just that satyrs and underground places...well..."

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If...if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"All the way, G-man." Percy turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Oh," Percy said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane-"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Gee," he said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

"I would!" Y/N exclaimed.

Percy sighed, "Look I know you overthink and help people all the time but I can't ask you for this."

"Who said I'm doing this for you?" Y/N perked up one of her eyebrows and chuckled. "Maybe a little bit."

"No, he's right." a familiar voice said.

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up. And Y/N you aren't ready for a quest."

"And he is?" Y/N started getting angry, "I might be behind all of you in physical fights but I can help you heal!"

"We have ambrosia for that," Annabeth said.

"Oh yeah? And how long is that gonna last?"

"Why are you so eager to put yourself in danger? I thought you hoped to see your father?" Percy asked.

Y/N's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. It felt like no one believed that she was strong and capable enough to go to a quest. _Not even Percy._

"I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?" he asked Annabeth.

Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"

The truth was, Percy needed all the help he could get. He knew Y/N would hop in to help him but somehow he just felt like he already got too much help from her.

"A trio," he said. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing.

 _Oh_.

They already started ignoring her. Ignoring her presence. Ofcourse they rejected her offer. Annabeth was more capable. She knew it but it felt unfair.

All of them quickly left to their cabins after looking at her weirdly for a moment.

She didn't care at that moment of how she looked. She was desperate and that's a fact.

Chiron turned to Y/N, "Travelling in trios is always safe and lucky. Annabeth is.."

"–a huge help I know. I've been hearing it from you ever since I arrived." she said, her voice was trembling. She felt like crying. And she never cried. Not even a single day after arriving in the camp.

"This is a huge quest. I hope you know what you're saying," Chiron said.

Y/N snapped her head towards him. He was looking at her with a smile.

Oh, he _approved_.

"I know what I'm saying. If anything happens...I know I'll be the first one to go."

"Don't underestimate yourself dear."

"I'm just stating facts," Y/N smiled and said, "I'm the weakest one."


	10. Chapter 10

It didn't take them long to pack. Percy decided to leave the Minotaur horn in his cabin, which left him only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for him. Y/N ran to her cabin and started packing her clothes and weapons (arrows and knives) in a hurry.

A girl in her cabin, Ruby, who was reading a book saw her and asked, "Wait, you're going? I thought...Annabeth was going?"

Y/N sighed and said, "Uh yeah, we...both are going."

"Thats-"

"-not safe, I know. But...I have questions that needs to be answered."

"Are you sure it's not because of the new boy?" Y/N glared at the brunette but she continued, "Hey, we all noticed how much you were spending time with him. Are you...like...feeling insecure? Because Annabeth is going?"

Y/N felt her heart stop for a moment. She never thought of it like that. But she shouldn't be bothered...even if they started liking each other...right? She knew there was some kind of weird tension the moment they started talking to each other. Yes, they did fight a lot but still..no one can deny the fact that there was some tension. Or maybe it was just because Annabeth says Athena and Poseidon dislike each other, so they also hate each other, but are actually friends? Okay, she realized that this was gonna take some time, so she quickly packed up her bag and walked out of her cabin.

"You're going too?" Another voice boomed. It was an undetermined kid too, namely Harris. "...honestly, I kind of...I guess we all kind of know why you want to go so we won't stop you." He smiled looking at her confused face, "Uh, just take care of yourself. You can be a bit clumsy. And uh-" He took off a silver necklace which had a half-moon symbol and gave it to her.

"Harris?" she took the necklace slowly from his hand, questioning his motive.

"Look, I've...lost my will to look for my real parent. But it's nice to see you get a chance. I just wanted," he blushed and brushed his hair back, "I wanted you to take this and remember all of us undetermined kids. Just...find your dad, ask for answers. If you get to see him, it would feel a bit better for all of us. Maybe it would just...give all of us some hope."

Y/N clutched the necklace and wore it, "I will do it!" She smiled and gave him a quick hug. Harris chuckled as he watched the girl run away with her backpack.

She arrived the camp store where the trio were waiting for her. Annabeth did not look happy. Ofcourse she planned for only three people, and that didn't include her. So she didn't really have anything to say to her. Y/N just hoped that she would try to forgive her for her rash decision later. Percy looked indifferent while Grover looked nervous. She couldn't pinpoint whether _he_ was pissed with her too...uh _they_ were pissed with her too.

The camp store loaned them one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. The coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. 

Chiron gave the half-bloods each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if they were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded them. It would cure them of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told had been a fourteenth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

They waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

* * *

Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the camp's head of security. He had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so one could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron told, "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

They heard footsteps behind them.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought...um, maybe you could use these." He handed him the sneakers, which looked pretty normal.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much that he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turned sad.

Percy had been afraid that Luke might resent him for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving him a magic gift.... It made him blush almost as much as Annabeth.

"Hey, man," Percy said, "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just...kill some monsters for me, okay?"

They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, patted Y/N on her back and then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. 

After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventilating." Y/N chuckled lightly.

"Am not," Annabeth said.

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

"Oh...why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. Y/N couldn't help but think about it again - the weird atmosphere around them, ofcourse.

Percy picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

Percy nodded, disappointed, but then got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon he'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.

Y/N rushed behind him, trying to catch him.

For the first time, the quest felt real. They were actually leaving Half-Blood Hill, heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. 

When they got to the bottom of the hill, they looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

* * *

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to Y/N as if they were normal carpoolers, while Percy sat next to Argus. After six months at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. Y/N found herself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look...we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Why?"

She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives."

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand."

"I said, forget it!"

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the side of his neck winked at Percy.

Y/N shifted uncomfortably on her seat. She was aware that they were still not talking to her. Did she mess it up? No, she knew no amount of personal grudge should come in between when it comes to such an important quest. But she didn't expect _Percy_ to be mad at her. She wanted to tag along to find her father, sure but...truthfully she was afraid to let all of her friends go away on such a dangerous quest. Ofcourse she knew she would be left out but she was mainly worried about them. She just wanted her healing abilities to work on them when they needed it.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

He ripped it down before the others could notice.

Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The rain kept coming down.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad but Y/N. She hit her head multiple times after which Annabeth decided in case of Y/N "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" doesn't apply, and it was better to keep it away from her. Y/N though was glad that they were finally talking to her. Maybe, she was just overthinking about it.

The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, the Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all.

Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but they were all too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

But he could tell it wasn't nothing. Percy started looking over his shoulder, too.

He was relieved when they finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. They stowed their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto his knee. "Percy."

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and his heart skipped a beat.

It was Mrs. Dodds as Percy recognised. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face.

He scrunched down in his seat.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

Ofcourse Y/N wasn't dumb. When she noticed Annabeth stopped moving and held Percy she immediately knew something was wrong. Annabeth's face showed it all. She noticed the weird three ladies get in and she could recognise the vibe – something not mortal.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"The what?" Y/N asked nervously.

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, they were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof...?"

They hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys-"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"I can't just leave you."

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

"Just go, we know what to do!" Y/N said. Oh she didn't know what but the boy looked like he was about to cry. The least she wanted is to calm him down so their plan could run smoothly...yeah, it's gonna be hard.

Percy took the Yankees cap and put it on. When he looked down, his body wasn't there anymore.

He started creeping up the aisle. He managed to get up ten rows, then ducked into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.

Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. His heart was pounding.

Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

Percy was free. He made it to the front of the bus. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. He was about to press the emergency stop button when they heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover, Annabeth and Y/N, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.

"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"

The Furies raised their whips.

Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. Y/N pulled her bow and arrow, just in case the knife in her pocket doesn't work.

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

Still invisible, Percy grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and heard the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"

They wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

They careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. They shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to the left, the Hudson River to the right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

Another great idea: he hit the emergency brake.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. Percy stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. Y/N was already swinging the knife she kept in her pocket.

He looked at the open doorway. Percy was free to go, but he couldn't leave his friends. He took off the invisible cap and yelled, "Hey!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver his F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward him like huge nasty lizards.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," he told her.

She growled.

Annabeth, Y/N and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

Percy took the ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," he told her.

"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around his sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him.

He stuck the Fury on the left with the sword's hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. He turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands, Y/N shot her bow at Mrs. Dodds which she aimed at her heart, but because she moved around too much, it struck on her shoulder instead. Along with a string of curses she also heard a deafening screech from it. Yes, it injured her, but the arrow was supposed to work like Percy's right? She was supposed to turn to dust but she didn't.

"Ow!" Grover yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of their neck.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!"

They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped his photograph before Percy could recap his sword.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told them Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

They plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind.

Y/N who was running confused, wondered if the gift from Chiron really worked. It was supposed to right? He wouldn't lie to her ofcourse. Was she not using it correctly?

Questions filled her mind, as the path before them had nothing but darkness ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

So there they were, Annabeth, Percy, Grover and Y/N, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind them, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in their noses.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

Y/N was thinking hard too. About why her bow and arrow didn't work the way it should. Atleast that's what Chiron told her. But Annabeth kept pulling them along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

"All our money was back there," Percy reminded Annabeth, "Our food and clothes. Everything."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight-"

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine."

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," said Annabeth.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans ... a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

They sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy. "Look, I..." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate you coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?"

She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

Y/N was walking behind them. She heard them talk. Maybe if it was a crowded area she wouldn't be able to listen but it was completely silent in the forest. She could hear every word they said clearly. 

And she felt restless.

Why was she feeling restless? She should be fine because _finally_ Annabeth and Percy were getting along right? Finally they'll be able to come up with better plans if they are not coming for each other's throats. This should be good for all of them. She focused on the conversation going on before her.

The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind, leaving them in almost total darkness. Percy couldn't see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blond hair.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were nine?" Percy asked her.

"No...only short field trips. My dad-"

"The history professor."

"Yeah....Y/N told you, didn't she? It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out now, as if she was afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

"You're pretty good with that knife," Percy said.

"You think so?"

"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me."

Percy couldn't really see, but he thought she might've smiled. It felt funny. It felt like someone pulled at his heartstrings. _Oh wait._

This is gonna be weird now, isnt it? Maybe it was the same with Y/N. He tried to reason and find logic but it just wasn't working. If he genuinely talked with some logic, he knew what everyone would say if he told about how he felt.

He was...starting to have a...teensy bit of a crush on the blonde. Ofcourse it wasn't the same with Y/N. They weren't like this. Something felt different with Annabeth. He wasn't sure what, but this sure as hell was the first time he felt like this for someone he has been quarreling with so much time. He did think she was _beautiful_ back when he was in the hospital bed, and she was feeding him ambrosia.

"You know," she said making him snap out of his thoughts, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus ..."

Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.

Instead of finding a path, Percy immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on his head. 

Grover stopped after a while though. While the blonde and the new kid were busy talking to each other, he quietly moved next to Y/N who seemed to be very focused on where she was stepping. Well, good she's being cautious but...rocks and grass can't be that interesting for so long right?

"You're awfully quiet," he said, making Y/N jump up in surprise.

She sighed and replied, "Oh Grover you scared me," she hit his arm lightly with a small smile on her face.

"So? What's...making you worry so much?"

"You were...reading my emotions?"

"Uh...sorry, it's just that...the road is way too boring for you to look at for so long."

"Okay..just lower your voice," she said looking at both of her friends, still talking to each other. "It's just that...I feel like both of them are ignoring me for volunteering to tag along. I'm probably being a dead weight right now. I'm just so sorry but I couldn't wait for so long like her. I don't want to become hopeless like the others."

"...dead weight? Why would you-"

"Because all of you were fighting and my arrow did _nothing_. Chiron said it's divine but nothing happened. Heck, I wasn't even sure if you wanted to talk to me."

"Y/N, you're way too bright for someone to ignore you."

"...do you mean I'm loud?"

"Yeah, that too," he chuckled, "but is that it?"

"what," Y/N fidgeted her fingers uncomfortably, "what do you mean?"

"I mean I feel like there's more than that you're worried about."

Y/N chuckled, "You damn satyrs know everything. I'm worried that I'll be all alone again if....those two..."

"and you'll be sad too right? No offence, but I've read your emotions when you talk with him and...I guess you are in denial but you genuinely have..a crush on him."

Her face became red, and she blushed furiously. She stammered, "Y-You know t-that? How can you..be sure?"

"Apart from watching your face? Yeah, it's kinda what satyrs are capable of doing. Besides, I'm just glad your mood didn't affect any of us. You know? Your mood can...make people sick sometimes."

She stopped walking and held his hand. Her grip tightened around his wrist as she muttered, "Promise me you won't tell a soul about this. Especially not them? Please?"

"Sorry for invading your privacy but yeah, I don't go around leaking people's private stuffs."

Y/N sighed in relief and smiled. She heard Percy's voice from the front, "What are you guys doing? How are both of you so slow!"

"Coming! Just tripped on something!" Y/N immediately said, and turned to Grover mouthing the words 'thank you'. Yeah it felt like she got hit by a bus when Grover put it so bluntly, but she knew this. She was in denial after all. But...it felt nice to have someone know about it and to talk to. 

* * *

After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, they started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. They could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. They kept walking until they saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like they'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible to read, because if there's anything worse to dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

She loved reading so much, but then again she was dyslexic, too. Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

They crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers.

"Hey.." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," she agreed.

"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

They ignored him.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

They stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters." 

"Wait seriously?" Y/N asked, looking at him, "Like are you very sure about it?"

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are ... looking at me."

"Guys I think we should listen to him and search the area quietly if he's smelling monsters?" Y/N said. But just like Grover, even her words were ignored. She would've thought he has gone nuts if it weren't for all the things she knows satyrs are capable of. If he's smelling monsters then there's sure as hell something in there.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall woman, she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all they could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so they imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," Percy said.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy said. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

They thanked her and went inside.

Annabeth muttered to him, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"Your head is full of kelp."

The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces - all life-sized.

At the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything they could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Before Percy could jab him in the ribs, Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly. "Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Only later did they wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though they had never introduced themselves.

The hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy was halfway through his burger before he remembered to breathe. Annabeth slurped her shake. Y/N ate some peri-peri french fries. Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched them eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at them when they couldn't see her face. Feeling satisfied after the meal, and a little sleepy, Percy figured the least he could do was try to make small talk with our hostess. Y/N watched the boy in between and Annabeth next to him. She frequently looked to and fro between them, before Grover nudged her and gave a look, which finally made her stop.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, trying to sound interested.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

Percy turned and saw a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than seen in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking him to get his attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

She sounded tense as Y/N noticed, but she wasn't sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now. Y/N looked at the woman before them. Something about her story _made_ Annabeth change her attitude. She wanted to escape. But why from this...woman. It was a valid question right? Unless they were facing some kind of monster like...Grover smelled before.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly. "We really should go," she said.

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!" Percy looked sleepy and confused.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"

"Sure we can," he said. Percy was irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who'd just fed them for free. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

"There is a harm. We can't afford to be late Percy. We have a deadline...uh, the ringmaster might leave before us for the next show," Y/N said sternly, that's right. It was kind of an advantage that she was very little interested in her but if this woman is keeping two of her friends on their toes, it definitely means _danger_. She tried to make him look at her face. But he...avoided looking at her. Ofcourse he was mad, but was she not obvious enough with her tone when she said it? Or was he just blinded by pity for the woman?

Annabeth didn't like his way of speaking, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead them back out the front door, into the garden of statues. Aunty Em directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girls in the middle, I think, and the young gentlemen on either side."

"Not much light for a photo," Percy remarked.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy-" Annabeth said.

Some instinct warned him to listen to Annabeth, but he was fighting the sleepy feeling, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil...."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"Gosh, I can't believe she had to spell it out for you." Y/N sighed.

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and Percy both off the bench. Y/N turned her head to the left, immediately after she said. She was like an eagle when it came to this. Her reflexes were very fast and she knew how to keep pin-drop silence when she was around her prey. Before they know it, she would've already swept them off and straight up going for the kill. She ran behind one of the statues, her eyes on the ground.

Y/N's heartbeat fastened and she started humming nervously. She heard Medusa shout in rage. She wasn't exactly good in shooting with her eyes closed and just by hearing sound. Not yet. She can try it, but it won't have effect on Medusa like it didn't on the Furies. She has to sing a tune to paralyze her, something she learned quickly from the Apollo kids, but with her friends around? How exactly? If only they were away from Medusa, she would've told them to shut their ears and eyes but that wasn't the case now.

* * *

Something fell to the ground next to Percy's foot. It took all his willpower not to look. He could feel warm ooze soaking into his sock, little dying snake heads tugging at his shoelaces.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck."

They just had a major fight with Medusa - Grover used Luke's shoes to attack her, Annabeth guided and used her intelligence and lastly, Percy was the one who beheaded her.

And Y/N? Yeah, she did nothing. She couldn't do anything. She was too scared to use her arrows without looking at her, scared to hit her friends and her voice? Yeah no, it was a disadvantage with all of her friends around. She was a burden, well, she felt like one.

She came up next to Percy, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice. Annabeth ran towards them.

"Are you okay?" she asked Percy, her voice trembling.

"Yeah," he decided, "Why didn't ... why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Grover moaned as he climbed down from a grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

"The Red Baron," Percy said. "Good job, man."

He managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."

He snatched his shoes out of the air. Percy recapped his sword. Together, the four stumbled back to the warehouse.

They found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. They plopped it on the table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally Percy said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed him an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

His face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."

Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of his voice, she said: "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Forget it," Percy said. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're-"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?" 

Y/N was quiet the whole time. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't a help at all. Clearly Chiron was right. Anything more than three is unlucky.

They stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

Percy got up. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you-"

He searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

In the cash register he found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. He rummaged around the rest of the office until he found the right-size box.

He went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

_The Gods_

_Mount Olympus_

_600th Floor,_

_Empire State Building_

_New York, NY_

_With best wishes,_

_PERCY JACKSON_

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

Percy poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"I am impertinent," he said. Percy looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize.

She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that he had a major talent for ticking off the gods. "Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."

Oh but Y/N recognized the look. And that too coming from Annabeth? No one got that look, as long as she remembers.

She looked at him the same way...Y/N looked at Percy. She understood where both of them stood. Yeah, she remembered her Ruby's words. She wasn't so sure but that was a part of why she wanted to come right? Because of her selfish needs? I mean, who could blame her. Annabeth was _beautiful_. But...her? She only heard it from her family. She felt insecure that Annabeth would....Y/N felt sick. She was thinking like this about her own friend? She should be happy.

Y/N sighed and got up. "Anyone's hurt?" she asked, "So no one else except...Grover right?" She pulled him and went away from the two of them. They could end their fight and become...friends again. It's good for them. Besides, she promised them to heal when they get wounded.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked.

"To have a concert," Y/N said and entered Medusa's office.

"....wait. Are you...gonna give a solo performance in front of me?" Grover asked with a stupid grin on his face.

Y/N chuckled and asked, "What?"

"Yeah we all know only special people get that. The only time one can hear Y/N Y/L/N alone was only if they were special to her. Am I special?"

"Where did you-? You know, nevermind. This camp has some weirdass rumors." Y/N smiled and sat down in front of him, "But it's kind of true I guess. You'll get to hear it some other time. But right now, let's focus on that bump on your forehead." She touched the affected area while Grover flinched a bit, and started singing hymn 5 and 2 together - five eases pain and two heals minor injuries.

He felt his injury getting healed instantly. Grover touched his forehead and felt the bump gone.

"You have a beautiful voice," he complimented, "consider me your first fan."

"Every child of my father does."

Grover chuckled, "I don't care about others man. I care about my friend and you are one amazing singer."

Y/N blushed hearing the compliment. She wasn't used to it, at all. Even after all the performances in her school, she went back home early. Besides, the kids weren't as nice to her like Grover was.

As they were about to get out of the room, Grover stopped her. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...why? I mean, I practically did nothing."

"No...I meant emotionally. Cause...I don't need my power to sense something between them. You're okay with that?"

"I have to. They're my friends."

"Then...I'm sorry to tell this beforehand cause I don't wanna dampen your mood but it will cushion the blow I guess," Grover contemplated for a minute whether to say it or not, but he decided she should know this. 

"I know you're well aware how Annabeth is feeling cause you're her friend. But....Percy...his emotions...well...they match with hers."

Y/N chuckled and smiled. Her heart felt heavy. Why was it happening? She should've avoided him after nursing him. She shouldn't have listened to Annabeth when she wanted to introduce them. But...she'll observe. That's it. She won't be butting in between them that way, right?

"So...their feelings are mutual huh.." Y/N sighed and quickly came back to her senses, "Anyways, we should go."


	12. Chapter 12

The demigods were pretty miserable that night.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

They'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but they didn't dare light a fire to dry the damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. They didn't want to attract anything else.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to take first watch.

Annabeth curled up on the blankets and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground. Y/N stayed awake for sometime looking at her arrow, more like inspecting it but then gave up and went to sleep. Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy told him. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."

He nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, Percy."

"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?"

"No. This makes me sad." He pointed at all the garbage on the ground. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist."

He glared at him. "Only a human wouldn't be. Your species is clogging up the world so fast ... ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At the rate things are going, I'll never find Pan."

"Pam? Like the cooking spray?"

"Pan!" he cried indignantly. "P-A-N. The great god Pan! What do you think I want a searcher's license for?"

A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might've once been in these woods. Suddenly he was nostalgic for something he'd never known.

"Tell me about the search," Percy said. Grover looked at him cautiously, but told him everything nonetheless. Percy thought it was insane how his friend thought he can find Pan when so many before him couldn't. But then again, he was going against some gods in the first place.

He stared at the orange haze of the sky and tried to understand how Grover could pursue a dream that seemed so hopeless. "How are we going to get into the Underworld?" he asked him. "I mean, what chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But back at Medusa's, when you were searching her office? Annabeth was telling me-"

"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out."

"She's had a tough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me...." His voice faltered.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Forgave you for what?"

Suddenly, Grover seemed very interested in playing notes on his pipes.

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "Your first keeper job was five years ago. Annabeth has been at camp five years. She wasn't ... I mean, your first assignment that went wrong-"

"I can't talk about it," Grover said, and his quivering lower lip suggested he'd start crying if he pressed him. "But as I was saying, back at Medusa's, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't what it seems."

"Well, duh. I'm getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took."

"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fur-The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy ... why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me."

Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about me," Percy said.

"Maybe ... but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said 'Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object."

"That doesn't make sense."

"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt...." He looked at Percy like he was hoping for answers, but he didn't have any.

Percy thought about what Medusa had said: he was being used by the gods. What lay ahead of him was worse than petrification. "I haven't been straight with you," he told Grover. "I don't care about the master bolt. I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother."

Grover blew a soft note on his pipes. "I know that, Percy. But are you sure that's the only reason?"

"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him."

Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done. And I can feel some other emotions from you too." He turned and looked at sleeping Annabeth.

"Yeah? Well maybe satyr emotions work differently than human emotions. Because you're wrong. I don't care what he thinks."

Grover pulled his feet up onto the branch. "Okay, Percy. Whatever."

"Besides, I haven't done anything worth bragging about. We barely got out of New York and we're stuck here with no money and no way west."

"Okay then let's talk about the other _feeling_ I noticed," Grover said, "Annabeth?"

"Don't be riduculous. How can I even like someone like her? I can't even tolerate her."

"You say that but...she's the one you were looking at whenever we got into trouble."

"Ofcourse! She has the plans right?" he blushed. Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought he was.

"Why do I have friends who are all in denial," Grover muttered, but Percy heard it.

"...Who else?" he asked, his heart was pounding loudly on his chest. He...was afraid to hear it but at the same time, he wanted it to be her. _Annabeth_.

Even he couldn't understand why he was feeling like this. But he knew that it might be because of the tension in the air and how both of them fought with each other all the time but also looked out for each other. Maybe it was because they suppressed their feelings about each other that was finally coming up to the surface.

Grover looked tensed for a moment and then said, "...Annabeth." He looked at the direction where both the girls were sleeping but his eyes were on Y/N. That girl was way too positive about things. He didn't get it, how she was able to watch her friend fall for the guy she likes. And the worst part is his best friend, Percy being a dumbass liked her back. Grover probably would've done the same if he was in her shoes. But then again, he never would've volunteered and take the torture in the first place.

"Wait, for real?" Percy asked eagerly.

But Grover didn't lie, "Yeah...she's just not that good in expressing it."

"Yeah...I've seen it."

"Hey are you mad at Y/N?"

"What? No, why?" Percy asked confused.

"Cause this whole trip, you guys have been talking the least out of all of us."

"I didn't think of it that way. I guess I was too focused on the gravity of the situation we are stuck in. I didn't exactly find the time," he cleared his throat, "Besides, she could've started first."

"Yeah, she did try a couple of times but you didn't notice. So she decided to let it go."

"Oh...well first thing in the morning."

"Percy, she really considers you a close friend of hers and she's doing all she can to help both of you. So don't screw it up. The girl's giving her best," Grover chuckled, "Too bad you screwed up enough to not hear her sing solo."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, only Annabeth, Alex and Luke heard her sing before them alone. Well, now I kind of did too," he displayed a cocky smile, "Only special people have the chance to hear her sing alone."

"...special?" Percy asked as his eyes moved towards Y/N. She was sleeping and curled into a fetal position. Her cheeks were squished on one side. She looked... _cute_.

"Yeah, her healing technique. Besides, she promised to sing to me," Grover said snapping him out of his thoughts.

"So...when can I hear her sing? You just said she considers me a friend."

"Well, it's up to her to be honest," Grover looked at the night sky, and said, "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep."

Percy wanted to protest, but he started to play Mozart, soft and sweet, and he turned away, his eyes stinging. After a few bars of Piano Concerto no. 12, Percy was asleep.

* * *

Y/N woke everyone up as soon as the sun started rising, as she was the last to watch over the others. Annabeth was quick and soon enough got ready. Grover did look a bit tired but he was up anyway. He went out to explore and brought back a pink fluffy animal with himself while Annabeth started brushing her teeth. Y/N washed her face with water and said hello to the pink poodle. She wanted to pet it but decided against it and looked at Percy.

She shook him lightly and tried to wake him up several times, but this guy slept like a log. When Annabeth was done, she noticed her struggling, and came forward and said, "Don't be soft on seaweed brain. He sleeps like the dead. Let me try."

Then Annabeth started shaking him harshly. And his eyes finally opened.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

Percy was trembling and asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth tossed him a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with a pink poodle. The poodle yapped at Percy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not."

Percy blinked. "Are you ... talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled.

"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

Grover ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Percy said. "Forget it."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled and he said hello to the poodle.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

"Not another bus," Percy said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed.

She pointed downhill, toward train tracks and said, "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."

They had their breakfast and pretty soon started walking to the station. Percy remembered his conversation with Grover and looked at Annabeth who was walking fast. He had a small smile on his face. He decided that when all of this is over, he's going to ask her out. Life is too short for a half-blood and he wasn't going to waste an opportunity. Grover confirmed that she felt.... _something_ for him right? The only thing in the way was Luke. He wasn't sure if Annabeth had the same feelings but...whenever he was present before her, she always blushed and stuttered. She never did this in front of him.

Grover walked beside him and cleared his throat, "First thing in the morning, huh?"

_Oh shit._

He turned to look back at Y/N who was walking looking at the ground. Percy slowed down and let her catch up to him. She was aware of that though. It felt...uncomfortable after what Grover said about their feelings - _his_ feelings. But he didn't deserve this. Heck, he doesn't even know about her crush on him.

"I've never seen you _this_ quiet before," Percy said.

Y/N smiled and sighed, "Well, you don't know a lot of stuffs about me." She bit her lower lip and finally looked at him. Those sea-green eyes always made her drawn to him. She quickly looked away and said, "I wasn't much help. Sorry, I just..."

"No it's fine. Uh, you helped Grover and us back in the bus."

"I would've helped more if I knew why it didn't work. The bow and arrow is divine. Just like your pen, it is supposed to return back to me and work like the way yours does. But...it didn't affect the Furies."

"Maybe...you forgot something."

"No, I'm sure I didn't. I was itching to use this and saved it for some dangerous situation but...anyways," Y/N huffed and asked, "Why the sudden interest Percy?"

"What?"

"I mean...aren't you mad? Chiron did say trio quests are better."

"What? Wait no-" he sighed, "You're..my friend and I'm glad you volunteered." He could've sworn that Y/N blushed hearing that. It made him chuckle. She appeared bright and almost bubbly. It was a surprise to see her blush over something that he said. He wondered how she looked when she sang. It made him a bit envious that Annabeth and Grover, even Luke and someone named Alex, heard her sing. He just needed to wait for his chance, right?

"Well, good that it's cleared up now," Y/N smiled and looked forward, "We're almost there."


	13. Chapter 13

They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

They weren't attacked once, but didn't feel like relaxing either. It felt like they were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.

Percy tried to keep a low profile because his name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as he got off the Greyhound bus. He had a wild look in his eyes. His sword was a metallic blur in his hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.

The picture's caption read:

_Fourteen-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture._

"Don't worry," Annabeth told him. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

"Yeah sure," Y/N muttered, "Just because they're mortals doesn't mean they're stupid."

"Hey, I know. I'm just trying to calm him down?" Annabeth said defensively, "Why are you saying this when you know how much tensed he is?"

"Because it's better to be cautious about it than giving false hopes Annabeth," Y/N said.

"It's like both of you switched roles," Percy chuckled nervously.

"When we are out on such an important quest, I don't think assumptions gonna make everything better. We _need_ to think about it practically," Y/N said.

The rest of the day was spent by alternately pacing the length of the train or looking out the windows.

Once, they spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught Percy's eye and waved. He looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptops or magazines.

Their reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they dozed off on the seats. Percy tried not to drool in his sleep, since Annabeth was sitting right next to him. 

Y/N sat on the opposite side of them and rested her head on the windows, sometimes looking at her friends sitting like...a couple. It felt like Percy was being cautious and trying to impress Annabeth. She decided to look away because it made her feel more uncomfortable than she realized. Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Annabeth had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed.

"So," Annabeth asked Percy, once she'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"

Percy was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time he'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered him so much he finally told her.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"

"I guess...if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

Percy shook his head, wishing he knew the answer. He thought about what Grover had told him, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something.

"I don't think it's him," Y/N said, "I'm not sure though. But, why would Hades want a war? He's not as evil as represented, I'm sure. He's supposed to maintain relative balance and quite frankly, that's a hard job to do when you've to deal with dead people everyday and have multiple responsibilities on your shoulders too."

Annabeth stayed quiet for a moment and said, "....you're just too nice Y/N."

"No just...I think he's too busy to make plans so that there's a war," Y/N said readjusting Grover's cap so it covered his horns. She decided to stop telling her opinion since both of them were convinced that Hades was the ultimate evil god ever because of being associated with death. And so far, none of them really cared enough about her opinion anyway.

"Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time-"

"This time?" Percy asked. "You mean you've run into them before?"

Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"You're not serious?"

Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on him. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy," she said. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."

"But how...I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital...."

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

Percy stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. He wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but didn't know how. He slowly slid his hand towards her and held her hand reassuringly.

"My mom married a really awful guy," he told her. "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking."

Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It occurred to him that the ring must be her father's. 

"He doesn't care about me," she said and held his hand back, "His wife-my stepmom-treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened-you know, something with monsters-they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"How old were you?"

"When I started camp? Nine."

"But...you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway," she said and looked away sadly. Y/N looked at their intertwined fingers and closed her eyes. She just wanted to drift off to sleep. It would replenish her energy and she wouldn't overthink about her place in this group. A group where she felt like an outsider.

Toward the end of their second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.

"I want to do that," she sighed.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?"

"Only in pictures."

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

Percy laughed. "You? An architect?"

Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day made him crack. Y/N smacked him lightly. She knew how sometimes he just didn't realize that his words were sharp and can actually hurt people. Well, she already felt a bit mad whenever he called Ares cabin members as big and ugly. He just didn't take their feelings into consideration. She absolutely _hated_ this part of him - the ignorant one. 

Annabeth's cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

Percy got a perfect response for his mockery. He watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

Y/N sighed, "This time, you started it Percy. Please, for the love of..." she hesitated saying god and decided to go with something else, "...chicken nuggets, stop your sassy commentary cause sometimes you really cross the limit."

"Oh, so you're gonna lecture me too?"

"You know I'm right though," Y/N shrugged, "you can deny if it hurts your ego."

"Can't we work together a little?" Percy pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess...the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?"

They rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel. "I suppose," she said at last.

Y/N smiled hearing it and looked out of the window. From the corner of her eye, she can make out both of them blushing slightly. Atleast, something was going good in this quest. Well, not for her but watching her friends making an effort and being a blushing mess around each other was worth it. They looked kinda happy.

* * *

They pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told they'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. Annabeth suggested for sightseeing which everyone agreed to, since she was a big fan of architecture. 

Big mistake.

They didn't take in account that the media was as much of a threat as the police. Ofcourse, as soon as they were in, a monster attacked Percy and ended up causing an explosion. He was the one getting blamed for it as usual, since after the disappearance of his mother, the police were searching for him. The media just added some fuel into the fire.

They made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind.

Next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver. They hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?"

"I'm not talking about phones."

They wandered through downtown for about half an hour, and found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping eyes open for patrol cars. Teenagers hanging out at a car wash without a car? Any cop worth his doughnuts would figure they were up to no good.

Annabeth set up an iris message and let Percy talk to Luke alone. He didn't reveal about their little chat but Y/N felt like he hid something. He always held something back. Only later does he finally feel the need to talk about it, which frankly does no good to team work. But she decided to let it go. He was doing what's best for all of them.

Y/N wanted to talk to Harris and tell him how everything was going fairly well until now. But, it wasn't really important enough to get caught by the police. She clutched the necklace that he gave her before the quest and put it under her shirt. 

Besides, they were nowhere near finding who stole Zeus's lightening and it was getting worse at the camp, she knew for sure. This way, she won't even able to give a good news to him. The only way she can really talk to her godly parent was if they managed to give Zeus back his lightening.

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around were families who were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas. But their peace didn't last long.

Ares came up with another quest for them. He had Aphrodite with him and something interrupted his date. He left the shield in a water park in the Tunnel of Love and wanted the four to fetch it for him. Ofcourse, they refused at first but he made a _generous_ offer.

Unfortunately about Percy's mom.

So there they were, standing in front of an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder..."

"Grover," Percy said, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

Percy took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic, but he got the feeling he was trying to make up for what had happened in St. Louis.

"No," Percy told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."

"...there has to be a catch," Y/N said squinting her eyes and looking around the pool, "If this was easy, Ares won't come up to us and assign us this job. He's the god of war, he's capable of doing this alone."

"She's right," Grover said, "maybe he's a god so it's humiliating to come back here?"

"Well, we don't have time to waste. Annabeth and I are going, Percy you can just stay and look out for us."

"Hold on," Percy stopped her, "I don't know. Just a feeling that something can go wrong. Annabeth, come with me-" Y/N stared at them for a moment, and looked away. Maybe, she shouldn't butt in. She was absolutely useless in this whole quest anyway. But it still stung a bit. Percy completely rejected her idea. Like, they weren't even giving her a chance to do something. It felt like they were all treating her as some kind of innocent kid, who can't defend herself. It made her feel a bit mad.

"Are you kidding?" Annabeth looked at him with a blush.

"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.

"Me, go with you to the... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

"Who's going to see you?" But his face was burning now, too. He started down the side of the pool, and she followed him, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

They reached the boat. The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady's silk scarf. 

Percy picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable-rose, or mountain laurel. Something good. He smiled, a little dreamy, and was about to rub the scarf against his cheek when Annabeth ripped it out of his hand and stuffed it in her pocket. "Oh, no you don't. Stay away from that love magic."

"What?"

"Just get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get out of here."

Y/N looked unwillingly at the scene before her. Them, together in the stupid ride. But she had to look out for any kind of trap, which she was sure to be there. It _has_ to be there.

She just wished it wasn't something really bad.

The moment Percy touched the shield, his hand broke through something that had been connecting it to the dashboard. A cobweb, he thought, but then looked at a strand of it on his palm and saw it was some kind of metal filament, so fine it was almost invisible. A trip wire.

"Wait," Annabeth said.

"Too late."

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."

Noise erupted all around them, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

Y/N was ready to scream and use her voice as a weapon, to wipe those arrows away from them. It was worth the risk rather than watching her friends get shot at by so many of those arrows. Hades, felt like a bad guy to her all of a sudden. She didn't want him to take them away.


	14. Chapter 14

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. Before they could suggest taking cover, the cupids shot, but not at them. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" Annabeth said.

He grabbed the shield and ran, but going up the slope of the pool was not as easy as going down.

"Come on!" Grover shouted.

Y/N and him were trying to hold open a section of the net for them, but wherever they touched it, the golden threads started to wrap around their hands.

* * *

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding them with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight..."

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid.' Eta is H.' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

They'd almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic ... things poured out.

Annabeth screamed.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward them in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!" Annabeth said. "Sp-sp-aaaah!" She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before Percy pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat.

The things were coming out from all around the rim now, millions of them, flooding toward the center of the pool, completely surrounding them.

Annabeth and Percy climbed into the boat. They started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard.

"God just scream already Y/N!" Grover shouted. She whipped her head towards him and he said, "Dude I know what Apollo kids use as weapons. Just trust yourself and do it! We can just tell them to shut their ears!"

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

* * *

They were walking towards the diner parking lot where Ares was waiting for them.

Too much happened but the important thing is that Annabeth and Percy were safe. Ofcourse, at the end of it, it was a combined effort. But Y/N felt happy after a long time.

"Hey," Percy cleared his voice, "That was cool, what you did there."

"I'm just glad that you guys are safe...and your ears are working fine." Y/N said. When Percy and Annabeth were on the boat and the spiders were surrounding them, many getting into the boats they were in, Y/N yelled them to cover their ears. Ofcourse, Percy immediately screamed asking why but after Annabeth told him to do as said, he covered his ears.

And after that Y/N screamed. Yes, that was her offensive power. Her voice was as sweet as a nightingale but she can use it as a weapon at times too. Her voice was loud and the soundwaves blew most of the spiders away. Some of the screens of the cameras also broke because of her pitch. She was finally feeling relieved to be of some help in the quest.

"Uh, I guess we didn't have time to thank you...so.." Percy said.

"Oh so other than that you aren't even bothered to talk to me right?" Y/N asked teasingly.

"Wait, that's not what I meant," Percy stuttered, "we wanted to thank you but-"

"You've been using 'we' a lot Percy," Y/N smirked looking forward, she had the same teasing tone, "Is there something you wanna tell?"

"Well uh.." Percy hesitated, and then remembered that she was Annabeth's best friend. "N-Nothing. What are you-"

"Percy, both of you are my friends. I won't snitch around~" Y/N said, "Besides, neither of you are good at hiding it."

"What do you mean?"

Y/N looked at him - the same sea green eyes looking into hers - she looked away quickly, "Both of you are too egotistic to tell this to each other. But," she sighed, "I feel like you are much less than her. You will...tell her right?"

"Yeah...I think so," Percy smiled looking at her, "Grover told me..she felt the same. Yes."

It didn't matter how much she wanted to feel happy for them. A part of her still selfishly wanted it to not happen. But Percy just confirmed it. She smiled bitterly, and said, "Look, Ares."

Percy walked towards the god of war.

"Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy said.

Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

He blushed and shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath.

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which he could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to him.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of them, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy-"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving me his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

"You owe me one more thing," Percy told Ares, trying to keep his voice level. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

The ground seemed to spin beneath him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled up my fists. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind his sunglasses, fire glowed. They felt a hot wind in their hair. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"I don't care."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god."

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but..."

He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

* * *

After they ran out of the truck and released the animals captured inside it, the demigods found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers-lotus blossom, maybe.

They got in, but Percy noticed something strange after some time. The people in this casino never got out. He managed to shake his friends out of the trance and obsession they were in and escape the timeless casino.

They ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. It was the same year it had been when they went in. Then they noticed the date: June twentieth.

They had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

One day was left until the summer solstice. One day to complete their quest.


	15. Chapter 15

The demigods walked down to the edge of the surf. They took a taxi and used the Lotus Casino credit card to reach Santa Monica. During the ride, Percy told them everything about his dreams. There were a lot of pieces that felt missing, but one thing was clear: they were hurtling toward the Underworld at ninety-five miles an hour, betting that Hades had the master bolt. If they got there and found out they were wrong, they wouldn't have the time to correct themselves. The solstice deadline would pass and war would begin. The taxi dropped them off at the beach in Santa Monica.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. Percy thought about how long it had been since he'd stood on the beach at Montauk, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea.

He stepped into the surf.

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

Percy kept walking, water rising up to his waist, then his chest.

She called after him, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic-"

That's when his head went under.

Annabeth tried to rush in but Y/N stopped her, holding her wrist. "He's the son of Poseidon remember?"

"But that-" she tried to reason but got interrupted again.

"I know, but you gotta trust him in this. He feels the best when he's near water," she looked forward at the setting sun and smiled, "Just trust him."

Annabeth stayed quiet for sometime and said, "Hey, I forgot to thank you earlier. I'm sorry we didn't listen to you earlier, but I guess you were right. Hades might not be..."

"-the one behind this?" Y/N said looked at her, "Yeah I know. I felt that too."

Annabeth sighed, "Sorry, I just...if it isn't Hades, then we're in a lot more trouble."

Y/N chuckled, "Yeah no shit...Also, I didn't tell anyone but I knew about his mom."

"Wait what?!"

"I wasn't sure and it was just a guess. I mean, why would she just burst into some golden light if she's dead? Death isn't like that when it comes to mortals."

"Oh..yeah," Annabeth said.

"You think he'll be pissed after I tell him this?"

"I mean, yes. Haven't you seen what he's like?" Annabeth looked around the sea, "Where is he? Why is he taking so long?"

Y/N chuckled, "Grover was right."

"Huh?"

"About you and Percy," she looked at Annabeth who was blushing, "Be in denial if you want but make up your mind at the end of the quest please."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah sure, that blush is for me then?" Y/N said, "You...like him don't you?" Annabeth sayed quiet, and Y/N continued, "Look, we don't exactly have luck to live that long. Treasure your time. Do what...your heart wants."

"I wish I could...." Annabeth muttered, "I'm not sure."

"Well, I'm here for you when you need me okay?"

Annabeth smiled looking at her, "I know you are."

Percy kicked upward toward the shore after some time.

When he reached the beach, his clothes dried instantly. He filled in about what had happened, and showed them the pearls from Nereid, a spirit of the sea.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"They were free."

"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

"I think we already got a dose of how easy tasks were earlier." Y/N said.

On that thought, they turned their backs on the sea.

* * *

With some spare change from Ares's backpack, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told. "You a child actor or something?"

"Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors."

"Oh! That explains it."

They thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book.

Twice, they ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. L.A. had a totally different feel from New York. Back home, everything seemed close. It didn't matter how big the city was, one could get anywhere without getting lost. The street pattern and the subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. A kid could be safe as long as he wasn't stupid.

L.A. wasn't like that. It was spread out, chaotic, hard to move around. It reminded of Ares. It wasn't enough for L.A. to be big; it had to prove it was big by being loud and strange and difficult to navigate, too. They didn't know how they were ever going to find the entrance to the Underworld by tomorrow, the summer solstice.

They walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at them like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging.

As they hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

Like an idiot, Percy stopped.

Before they knew it, they were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled them. Six of them in all-white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.

Instinctively, Percy uncapped Riptide.

When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at him with a switchblade.

He made the mistake of swinging.

The kid yelped. But he must've been one hundred percent mortal, because the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest. He looked down. "What the ..."

"Run!" Percy screamed at his friends.

They pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where they were going. They turned a sharp corner.

"There!" Annabeth shouted.

Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted.

A voice behind them boomed, "Lost who?"

They all jumped.

Standing behind was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward them slowly, but it felt like he could move fast if he needed to. His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

He was about to say No, thanks, when he put a huge paw on his shoulder and steered him deeper into the showroom.

There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way.

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think ..."

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Hold on Grover, don't just-" Y/N said and tried to pull him out but got pulled in instead.

"Just relax a little Y/N!"

Y/N smiled and sighed at the feeling. Oh it was relaxing actually.

"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost."

"Almost what?" Percy asked.

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what-"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"Hey!" she protested.

Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.

Grover and Y/N immediately tried to get up, but ropes sprang from the black-satin bed, too, and lashed them down.

"N-not c-c-cool!" Grover yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"

"F-fuck," Y/N shouted, "W-why d-do y-you g-guys n-never l-listen t-to m-me?!"

The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward Percy and grinned. "Almost, darn it."

Percy tried to step away, but his hand shot out and clamped around the back of his neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let my friends go."

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit."

Annabeth, Grover and Y/N kept struggling.

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!"

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover, Y/N and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling his friends from both ends.

"Don't worry," Crusty told, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

"Percy!" Grover yelled.

"God I wanted to be tall but not this way!" Y/N screamed.

"Shut up girl!" Crusty shouted, "You have one irritating voice!" Ofcourse, in panic Y/N's voice hurt their ears. She realized that her voice won't be a way to escape when her friends were tied up. They won't be able to stand her offensive strength.

Percy's mind was racing. He knew he couldn't take on this giant water-bed salesman alone. He would snap his neck before he ever got his sword out.

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" Percy asked.

"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.

"The Stretcher," Percy said. He remembered the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens.

"Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."

His eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Percy said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

He grinned hugely, but his fingers didn't loosen on his neck. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her," Percy told Procrustes. "She's impossible."

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?"

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

He let go of his neck, but before Percy could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

"Ah," he said, swallowing hard. "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

The ropes were really stretching his friends now. Annabeth was turning pale. Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose. Y/N just stopped screaming and was breathing heavily.

"So, Crusty ..." Percy said, trying to keep his voice light. He glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

Percy snapped my fingers. "Ergo."

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Center him just right," Percy said.

The ropes readjusted themselves at his command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.

"No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo."

Percy uncapped Riptide. "A few simple adjustments ..."

He had no qualms about what he was about to do. If Crusty were human, he couldn't hurt him anyway. If he was a monster, he deserved to turn into dust for a while.

"You drive a hard bargain," Crusty told. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models.'"

"I think I'll start with the top." Percy raised his sword.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

Percy swung the sword. Crusty stopped making offers.

He cut the ropes on the other beds. His friends got to their feet, groaning and wincing and cursing him a lot. Y/N wasn't though. Well, she was trying to breathe properly, she wasn't exactly in a good condition to cuss him out.

"You look taller," Percy said turning to Annabeth.

"Very funny," Annabeth said. "Be faster next time."

Y/N groaned, "She's literally taller than you, shut up."

Percy looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters- "The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," he told his friends.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death.'"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here."

"Let's get going then," Y/N said, "I'll give you guys a performance."

"Wait, really?" Percy turned towards her enthusiastically.

"Not you," Y/N said, "You weren't stretched to death."

He stomped his feet and grumbled under his breath, probably a bit sulking for missing the opportunity. Annabeth and Y/N looked at each other with an amused smile as they left the area.


	16. Chapter 16

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

"Well damn," Y/N smiled, "I'm kind of excited."

"...Are you serious?" Grover asked, "This might be the end of us."

"Look there's a lot of conspiracy theories about hell. I wanna see how it actually is," Y/N said, "I mean yeah I'm scared enough to pee my pants but I'm kind of...curious. It's like the feeling when a new horror movie is released and I finally get to see it."

"...How are you like this when you're the daughter of..." Grover stared at her and said, "You know what? Nevermind, you are one bright kid I know."

"But..yeah I'm scared.." Y/N said, her voice trembling as she stared back at him, "I'm...scared of darkness. Just..a bit maybe."

* * *

After they got in, by talking about pay-raise with Charon, they arrived near the entrance to the Underworld, which looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top. Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon.

The howling of a hungry animal was really loud now, the three-headed dog, Cerberus, who was supposed to guard Hades's door, was nowhere to be seen.

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

As they got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at their feet, but they still couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Then, about fifty feet in the front, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster. They hadn't seen it before because it was half transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at them. The dead walked right up to him-no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

Annabeth and Percy both had the right idea. Even here in the Underworld, everybody-even monsters-needed a little attention once in a while. Percy tried to distract Cerberus using a stick but it wasn't useful, but then Annabeth tried with a red rubber ball, and it worked.

She wiped a tear from her cheek as she listened to the mournful keening of Cerberus in the distance, longing for his new friend when they were leaving. Oh, it was painful to hear. Y/N flinched and started humming a tune, trying to block the sound out.

After Grover almost got dragged to the dark pit of Tartarus because of the flying shoes, they finally arrived to the destination. They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above.

"Atleast it's not entirely dark.." Y/N said with a shaky voice. So far she tried her best to not lose her nerves, but she was very scared. Percy looked at her who was staring at the ceiling and said, "Stop looking."

She probably didn't hear him. She was still nervously looking around. Percy stepped closer and said, "We are all here, you know."

Y/N unconsciously stepped towards his direction and held his hand. First Annabeth, and now her. In other circumstances, it would've made him feel embarrassed but seeing his friend like this made him think otherwise. This was the first time he felt her face drain out of all energy. She looked pale, like she didn't know what to do and her brain wasn't working. 

He held her hand back in reassurance, and felt her relax just a little bit. It made a smile form on his face.

He felt the need to protect her.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered them, but their hollow eye sockets followed as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

Percy's backpack weighed a ton now. He couldn't figure out why. He wanted to open it, check to see if he had somehow picked up a stray bowling ball, but this wasn't the time.

"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should ... knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

In the room inside the throne of Hades was occupied. He was the third god Percy and Y/N met, but the first who really struck them as godlike. He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

They immediately felt like he should be giving the orders. He knew more than they did. He should be the master. But then they knew how to snap out of it.

Hades's aura was affecting Percy, just as Ares's had. The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures they'd seen of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who direct suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, evil charisma.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Percy stepped forward and said, "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. 

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

They glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades's. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. Percy wished Queen Persephone were here. He recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the planet, create the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded him in the back.

"Lord Hades," he said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad."

"Really bad," Grover added helpfully.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," he said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

Percy glanced back at my friends. They looked as confused as he was.

"Um ... Uncle," he said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Hades was on a roll now.

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Percy blurted, just remembering the fact. 

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

"You were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"But ..." Annabeth spoke. They could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping this hero-coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt-to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't-I didn't-"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But-"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson-your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

At that point, Percy probably should have been terrified. The strange thing was, he felt offended. Nothing gets him angrier than being accused of something he didn't do. He'd had a lot of experience with that.

"You're as bad as Zeus," He said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you-I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could you threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then."

A horrible feeling struck him. The weight in my backpack, like a bowling ball. It couldn't be....

He slung it off my shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How-"

"I-I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... my helm. Where is it?"

He was speechless. He had no helm. He had no idea how the master bolt had gotten into his backpack. He wanted to think Hades was pulling some kind of trick. Hades was the bad guy. But suddenly the world turned sideways. He realized I'd been played with. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had been set at each other's throats by someone else. The master bolt had been in the backpack, and he'd gotten the backpack from ...

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

"A-And a misunderstanding!" Y/N quickly added in a small voice. 

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at me eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come-I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of Percy, and there was his mother, frozen in a shower of gold, just as she was at the moment when the Minotaur began to squeeze her to death.

He couldn't speak. He reached out to touch her, but the light was as hot as a bonfire.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

He thought about the pearls in his pocket. Maybe they could get him out of this. If he could just get his mom free ...

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, and my blood froze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

Percy's hand moved against his will and brought out the pearls.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

Percy looked at his friends. Their faces were grim.

"We were tricked," Percy told them. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit-"

"I don't know yet," he said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on my shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt,"

"I know that."

"Leave me here," he said. "Use the fourth pearl on your mom."

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You three go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"Shut up you idiots, I'm going to stay," Y/N said looking forward at Hades, "It's...what I think was meant for."

"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."

"Just trust me, Chiron said something back at the camp and I think I know what it means, I can't be a hindrance in your path this way. It's for the best! Besides, I have a goal and-"

"Exactly. Think again, about him. He trusted you for this right?" Annabeth said, eyes going down at the moon necklace Harris gave her.

"No just listen. I'll get my answer this way, Get out of here and give him a message on my behalf. About why.." Y/N looked at Hades, and felt uncomfortable speaking about it in front of him but continued, "If he comes back for me, or does anything for me, I would know where the gods stand when it comes to kids like us. If he's _busy_ again then I know how it's gonna go for me."

"Y/N you can't be for real..." Grover looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Besides just like I said before," his eyes went to Hades and she said, "He isn't what everyone thinks him as. He's misunderstood and, the gods and everyone else should acknowledge the amount of help he is. He manages _death_. He knows it's gonna cost his reputation but he still chooses to do this."

"Stop it, all of you!" Percy felt like his heart was being ripped in two. They all had been with me through so much. He had spent thousands of miles worried that he'd be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that. They had done nothing but save him, over and over, and now they wanted to sacrifice their lives for his mom. He did feel suspicious of Y/N for a moment because she tagged along even after knowing about the consequence of travelling over three people. _But_ , she tried her best. She's suggesting of staying here and she absolutely HATES darkness. She even laid a plan before them, as if she had a strategy.

But he knows better. She was planning to stay back. Y/N didn't deserve this.

"I know what to do," he said. "Take these."

Percy handed them each a pearl.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."

He turned and faced his mother. Percy desperately wanted to sacrifice himself and use the last pearl on her, but he knew what she would say. She would never allow it. He had to get the bolt back to Olympus and tell Zeus the truth. He had to stop the war. She would never forgive him if he saved her instead. He thought about the prophecy made at Half-Blood Hill, what seemed like a million years ago. "You will fail to save what matters most in the end."

"I'm sorry," Percy told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades's face faded. He said, "Godling ... ?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," Percy told him. "I'll return it. Remember about Charon's pay raise."

"Do not defy me-"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not-"

Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at their feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. They were encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground.

Annabeth, Y/N and Grover were right behind him. Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as they floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and he knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up.'" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

Sure enough, they were racing right toward the stalactites, which they figured would pop their bubbles and skewer them.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

They screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and ... Darkness.

For a few moments, they couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of my sphere, then their pearl broke through on the ocean floor. They soared upward through the water. And-ker-blam!

They exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Percy grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a life buoy. He caught Annabeth, who was holding onto a hyperventilating Y/N and dragged them over too. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long.

Percy said, "Beat it." The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could.

Somehow, Percy knew what time it was: early morning, June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

Annabeth tried to calm Y/N down, who was shivering experiencing the sudden darkness.

"S-Sorry, I sleep with lights on," Y/N blurted out.

"Why don't you sing to yourself? It'll calm you down right?"

Y/N closed her eyes and sighed, "...Right." She started humming a tune to herself. A song she found comfort in.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades's fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after him right now.

But at the moment, the Underworld wasn't the biggest problem.

They had to get to shore. They had to get Zeus's thunderbolt back to Olympus. Most of all, They had to have a serious conversation with the god who'd tricked them.


	17. Chapter 17

A Coast Guard boat picked them up, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped the demigods off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around their shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

Their clothes were sopping wet. When the Coast Guard boat had appeared, Percy'd silently prayed they wouldn't pick him out of the water and find him perfectly dry, which might've raised some eyebrows. So he'd willed himself to get soaked. Sure enough, his usual waterproof magic had abandoned him. He was also barefoot, because he'd given my shoes to Grover. Better the Coast Guard wondered why one of them was barefoot than wonder why one had hooves.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. It felt as if they'd just come back from the dead-which they ACTUALLY had. Percy's backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. His heart was even heavier from seeing his mother.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way-"

"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody-"

"Percy ..." Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry...."

"The prophecy was right," Percy said. "You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it."

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Percy stopped in my tracks, looking down the beach. "Gee, let me think."

"...It isn't him. There's a spy in camp," Y/N said looking forward, "I can feel it in my gut.".

There he was, waiting for them, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see Percy. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," he said. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power-that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice."

The idea seemed to amuse him. "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this ..."

Y/N thought about it when they continued talking to each other. That's right, who would it be? It wouldn't be Clarisse for sure because she might be good at fighting but strategies and making a plan work? A plan kept from everyone else? No, she would need help in that. It wasn't her. It's someone else. She tried her best not to think about the one person, she admired a lot but she couldn't help it. There's a high chance that it's from a certain person who gifted them with a pair of flying shoes. 

From his pocket Ares took out a ski cap-the kind bank robbers wear-and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?"

Percy wasn't sure how Ares knew about that, but a god of war had to make it his business to know about weapons, right?

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades.... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way-no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" he asked. "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I ... yeah ... with that kind of firepower ..."

He held the trance for one second ... two seconds.... Percy exchanged nervous looks with Annabeth.

Ares's face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."

"You're lying," he said. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

"Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at him with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy stepped into the surf. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

He laughed, but Percy heard a little edge to his laughter ... an uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."

"Scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

As the boar rushed towards him, Percy uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared in his hands. He slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

He shouted, "Wave!"

Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

He turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" Percy asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares's face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into-"

"A cockroach," I said. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you have to go away."

"What are you saying?" Y/N said, panicking.

Ares sneered.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed him his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy," Ares said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward," he told her.

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around his neck.

"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy face felt a little warm, but I managed a smile. "Thanks."

"And take this," Grover said. He handed him a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. "The satyrs stand behind you."

"Grover ... I don't know what to say."

He patted him on the shoulder. He stuffed the tin can in his back pocket.

Y/N silently walked to him and looked at his face. She took his hand and held it for a moment. She was checking on his health and his heart...was racing. "Look, I don't have anything but.." she took off her necklace that Harris offered her, "I'm sure they would all stand by you." She tied it around his neck and said, "Come back in one piece and you'll get to hear me sing."

Percy's face brightened momentarily. His heart started calming down. "Thank you, Y/N...for always being there. I know we just met but I mean it." 

"You all done saying good-bye?" Ares came toward him, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

* * *

Police cars were burning behind them. The crowd of spectators had fled. Annabeth, Y/N and Grover stood on the beach, in shock, watching the water flood back around Ares's feet, his glowing golden ichor dissipating in the tide.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling," he told me. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware."

His body began to glow.

'''Percy!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

He turned away as the god Ares revealed his true immortal form. 

The light died.

When he looked back. Ares was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades's bronze helm of darkness. Percy picked it up and walked toward his friends.

But before he got there, he heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil-looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of them.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodds, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but for once she didn't look threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she'd been planning to have him for supper, but had decided he might give her indigestion.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So ... it truly was not you?"

Percy tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise. "Return that to Lord Hades," he said. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again ..."

She cackled, savoring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on their bats' wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

"That's a weird way to say I wish you growth and flourishment in life," Y/N chuckled.

They were all who staring at Percy in amazement.

"Percy ..." Grover said. "That was so incredibly ..."

"Terrifying," said Annabeth.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

Percy didn't feel terrified. He certainly didn't feel cool. He was tired and sore and completely drained of energy. "Did you guys feel that... whatever it was?" He asked.

They nodded uneasily. "Must've been the Furies overhead," Grover said.

But Percy wasn't so sure. Something had stopped Ares from killing him, and whatever could do that was a lot stronger than the Furies. He looked at Annabeth, and an understanding passed between them. Percy knew now what was in that pit, what had spoken from the entrance of Tartarus.

He reclaimed his backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there. Such a small thing to almost cause World War III.

"We have to get back to New York," he said. "By tonight."

"That's impossible," Annabeth said, "unless we-"

"Fly," he agreed.

She stared at him. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Yeah," he said. "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on."

"Word travels fast, and I think the gods know by know what went on," Y/N said.

Percy turned to her and smiled weakly, handing her back the necklace, "Don't forget your promise."

"I won't," Y/N said wearing it, "But for now, give me your hand."

"Wh-what?" Percy blushed a bit, looking momentarily at Annabeth's direction. He didn't want her to misunderstand whatever Y/N was planning on. Annabeth on the other hand was looking at her best friend with a smile, but...a concerning smile.

"I'm not taking it fully, it will be evenly distributed. Don't worry," Y/N said, smiling at Annabeth. She knew that she would be worried for her. Grover didn't have much idea of how far Y/N has learned but Annabeth did.

"Can you tell me what you guys are talking about?"

"Geez calm down Percy," Y/N chuckled, "I'm not asking for your hand in marriage."

Percy blushed and quickly held out his hand. Y/N took it for a moment and stayed quiet. She checked on his organs and it was all fine. He was okay, but his energy was...low. She smiled and closed her eyes. 

He could feel something at that moment. Like a connection has formed, and he felt light...a bit better and stronger than before. Ofcourse, he still felt tired but it was a lot less now.

Y/N opened her eyes and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Better. Thanks," 

He tried removing his hand but she gripped it tight and said, "We are gonna have to walk like this till we reach Olympus." He looked at his friend, who was looking away at Grover. He gripped her hand with a smile and saw a blush form on her face. Grover had a strange look on his face. If it was some other time, he would've never thought of holding her hand and smile, but he was too tired to think about that. He just thought about how he wanted to protect her, and _he did_.

"Uh...and in the mean time I...will sing to you," Y/N said quickly, "We should go."

"I was promised a solo performance," Percy said, chuckling.

"Not really," she smirked, "I said you can hear me sing. I didn't say it was going to be solo."

Suddenly, Percy felt his mood dip down for a moment. But then he decided that there was going to be time left for that argument. 

"Come on grandpa," Y/N laughed, "Stop being grumpy. The police are walking at us. I guess there's a bigger audience now." 


	18. Chapter 18

It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality. Chiron had told this long ago.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all. He'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from his captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus-"Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his two friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed them this whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew ... somehow ... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for four tickets on the next plane to New York. 

There was no choice but to fly. They just hoped Zeus would cut Percy some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still hard to force themselves on board the flight.

Takeoff was a nightmare. Every spot of turbulence was scarier than a Greek monster. Y/N was humming a tune while they were holding their hands together.

Because of all the chaos with reporters and police, she didn't find the right time to sing and heal him. Upon finding both of them holding hands, the reporters immediately wanted a good bite on how young love bloomed during their terrifying time with the kidnapper. Percy did have a blush and started stuttering but Y/N's acting of being scared of everyone and everything made the reporters stop. It looked as if she needed some assistance and Percy was just handling her.

But this was a good moment. In the flight, Percy was holding on to her hand tight, and it hurt a bit but that wasn't what she focused on. She sang a hymn to heal and energize him on the way, something he was too distracted to understand at that moment.

They didn't unclench their hands until they touched down safely at La Guardia. Y/N wanted to hold on to his hand a little longer, savoring the minutes before they completed the quest and he got together with...Annabeth. Yes, she felt like an awful friend but the heart wants what it wants. Besides, there was no stopping it. It was clear that Percy felt nothing for her and was just friendship from his side. Other than that, Annabeth was smart and she was expecting him to ask her out soon.

The local press was waiting for them outside security, but they managed to evade them thanks to Annabeth, who lured them away in her invisible Yankees cap, shouting, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" then rejoined them at baggage claim.

They split up at the taxi stand. Percy told Annabeth and Grover to get back to Half-Blood Hill and let Chiron know what had happened. They protested, and it was hard to let them go after all they'd been through, but if things went wrong, if the gods didn't believe then ... Percy wanted Annabeth and Grover to survive to tell Chiron the truth.

He skipped Y/N. He did try to make her go and said that he would inform about her and tell them but she disagreed. It was something she was waiting to do since the beginning and the thought of meeting her father was a bit nerve-racking but she herself wanted to ask him about this, about why she remained undetermined. Yes, it was a risk but it was worth it. Besides, if things went down, she wanted to be with Percy to make sure he was fine. 

They hopped in a taxi and headed into Manhattan. Thirty minutes later, they walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.

They might've looked like a homeless kid, with my tattered clothes and my scraped-up face. They hadn't slept in at least twenty-four hours.

Percy went up to the guard at the front desk and said, "Six hundredth floor."

He was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. Percy wasn't much into fantasy, but the book must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddo."

"I need an audience with Zeus."

He gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me."

Percy was about to decide this guy was just a regular mortal, and he'd better run for it before he called the straitjacket patrol, when he said, "No appointment, no audience, kiddo. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."

"Oh, I think he'll make an exception." Percy slipped off his backpack and unzipped the top.

The guard looked inside at the metal cylinder, not getting what it was for a few seconds. Then his face went pale. "That isn't..."

"Yes, it is," Percy promised. "You want me take it out and-"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to me. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

They got in and Percy did as he told him. As soon as the elevator doors closed, he slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

He pressed it and waited, and waited.

Muzak played. "Raindrops keep falling on my head...."

Finally, ding. The doors slid open. They stepped out and almost had a heart attack.

They were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below was Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces-a city of mansions-all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. Precariously perched gardens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes. 

Y/N nervously looked around, scared of finally getting to see him. Unlike Percy, who got claimed she went unnoticed for six whole months. It scared her to think that her father would not be happy to see her. It would probably stay with her forever, to get shut down in front of every god.

They could make out an open-air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other. It was an Ancient Greek city, except it wasn't in ruins. It was new, and clean, and colorful, the way Athens must've looked twenty-five hundred years ago.

The tip of a mountain hanging over New York City like a billion-ton asteroid? How could something like that be anchored above the Empire State Building, in plain sight of millions of people, and not get noticed?

But here it was. And here I was.

Their trip through Olympus was a daze. They passed some giggling wood nymphs who threw olives at Percy from their garden. Hawkers in the market offered to sell him ambrosia-on-a-stick, and a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered-satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who might've been minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood. Several of them turned to watch them pass, and whispered to themselves.

They climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld.

There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, everything glittered white and silver.

It made them realize that Hades must've built his palace to resemble this one. He wasn't welcomed in Olympus except on the winter solstice, so he'd built his own Olympus underground. Despite the bad experience with him, they felt a little sorry for the guy. To be banished from this place seemed really unfair. It would make anybody bitter.

Steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne room.

Room really isn't the right word. The place made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings the size of Hades, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left. They didn't have to be told who the two gods were that were sitting there, waiting for Percy to approach. 

"I will wait outside.." Y/N said, her voice was quivering. She was clearly affected by the empty throne of her father. "He's...not here."

"Ï will talk to them about it," Percy said. Y/N smiled weakly at him and waited outside. Even if he wanted her out of there, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, Y/N knew that his father was different. He would not allow anything to happen to his son in his presence.

When she walked out of the palace, she sat down on the stairs. Taking off her necklace, she looked at it with tears in her eyes. In the end, she wasn't able to do what she came for - what she promised to do.

She felt something warm, some light approaching her. Y/N looked forward and saw him.

 _Him_.

She gasped and got up hastily, also immediately kneeling down in respect. She could understand who it was. 

Ofcourse, it was her father, Apollo. Soon, the heavy light dimmed and she felt hands pulling her up.

She stood and looked at his face. Hesitantly she said, "F-Father?"

Apollo sighed and said, "I couldn't help it. I had to...see you."

Y/N suddenly felt angry. Why was he acting as if he was the one suffering? He was the one who abandoned her.

"I understand your bitterness but I realized my anger is misplaced. You don't deserve this."

She quietly looked at her father in confusion and he continued saying, "I was...not happy that you found a father that quick. And accepted him faster than..."

"She looked happy!" Y/N immediately said, "Mother was happy. He made her happy and he's a nice person."

"I see, are you happy though?"

Y/N smiled at him and nodded, "Yeah..I am."

"That's all I want. I heard your hymns for me Y/N, your voice is as beautiful as your mother."

She blushed at the compliment and said, "Thank you father. It means a lot to me and..." she clutched her necklace.

"Oh, I have a question," Y/N said and was about to ask about her bow and arrow, when her father interrupted and said, "You'll find it out in time."

"So? Is there a certain song that's stuck in your head that you haven't been able to sing to anyone?" Apollo smiled looking at her blushing face, "Or a song you want to sing to certain _someone_?"

"Um...h-how do you kno...no ofcourse you know," Y/N chuckled and said, "It's not mutual papa."

His face turned grim for a moment but he smiled again, "Well you're just fourteen. There's a lot of life left in you."

"...I know," she said looking down.

"I like that," he smiled, "being called papa."

She returned his smile and Apollo said, "I've to leave now. I'm proud of you Y/N. You learned a lot faster than I expected." 

And he left shining bright, just like the way he came. She wanted to stop him and talk a little longer, but she knew that he was busy. He needs to go.

The door of the palace opened. Percy stepped outside with a smile on his face. He walked to her saying, "I talked to them about-"

"He was here," Y/N said putting her brightest smile, he couldn't help but laugh at her cute reaction.

"I'm glad," he said, "We are going to need to do a detour before going to the camp."

"Oh," Y/N furrowed her brows in worry and asked, "Where?"

"Well, my mom's back."


	19. Chapter 19

They were back on the streets of Manhattan.

Catching a taxi to Percy's mom's apartment, they rang the doorbell, and there she was - his mother, smelling of peppermint and licorice, the weariness and worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw him.

"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."

She crushed the air right out of him. They stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through his hair.

Y/N let them have their moment and gave some space.

Percy's eyes were a little misty, too. He was shaking, and was so relieved to see her.

"Oh, is that your friend?" she asked looking at Y/N.

She offered her brightest smile and said, "Hello, yeah we met at the camp. It's so nice to meet you!"

"Oh! You've made a lot of..friends?" she looked at him questioningly, asking if she was more than that.

He blushed and said, "Uh yeah she's just a friend. There's someone else I want you to meet too."

Y/N's smile faltered at the comment but she tried her best to not let it show. Pretty soon, they're going to be seen together right? She needs to get used to this.

His mother told them she'd just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. She didn't remember anything since the Minotaur, and couldn't believe it when Gabe told her Percy was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She'd been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn't heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she'd better get started.

Percy swallowed back his anger and told her his own story. He tried to make it sound less scary than it had been, but that wasn't easy. He was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?"

She closed her eyes. "He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles ... something about free appliances."

"Oh, yeah. About that..."

She managed a weak smile. "Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come on."

"Um, I'll just stand outside. Take your time. I don't think.." she looked at Percy and he came close to her as she said the next words, "..if i get angry i might scream and probably hurt your stepfather. He's already pissing me off. I don't want him to use it as another weapon against both of you."

Percy said, "Trust me I'll be more than happy if you did that."

"Exactly," she chuckled, "Take your time. I'm right outside. And try not to kill him okay?"

"I'll try."

When Percy came out after some time, he had a smirk on his face. He filled in on about what went on. It looked like his mother got the bag with Medusa's head.

The last thing he saw as the door swung closed was his mother staring at Gabe, as if she was contemplating how he would look as a garden statue.

* * *

They were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated them as if they'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made for them in their absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls-Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told me to shut up. He stared at her face, while she talked to her cabinmates oblivious to the way he was looking at her. The same way he was too oblivious to notice Y/N. But, atleast in his case there was a positive answer.

Y/N who's heart felt heavy at the scene, clutched her shroud tight and avoided looking at them. She burned her shroud which was beautifully made with golden silk with embroidered music notes and instruments. She hoped her feelings for that boy would burn away just like her shroud.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and surrounded Y/N, praising her guts to question her father (she didn't really but they didn't need to know that) passing out s'mores, Percy was surrounded by my old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told they'd never forgive Percy for disgracing their dad.

That was okay with him though.

Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen their spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...."

When the Apollo kids were singing in the amphitheater, Harris approached Y/N with a huge smile.

"Oh I guess you should take it back," Y/N said as she took it off her held her hand out.

Harris chuckled and said, "Consider it as a gift from all of us. It's because of you that so many of us are determined to work it out your way. We all want to question our parents but I guess there's some reason they didn't claim us all. We just have to figure it out ourselves."

He took the necklace and walked behind her.

"What are you-" Y/N asked but stopped when she felt the necklace as Harris tied it around her neck. "Oh, um thanks."

"I'm..glad we talked before you left," he scratched the back of his head and asked, "We are friends now right?"

Y/N chuckled, turning around to face him and said, "Of course we are!"

"So?" he said sitting down, "how are you...feeling?"

"What?" Y/N asked sitting next to him.

"About them?" Harris saying looking across at the couple - _the almost a new couple_ of the camp. 

"I...don't feel particularly good about it. But as long as they're happy.." she sighed and looked down. Percy and Annabeth were holding hands and sitting very close to each other.

"You can vent if you want."

"There's nothing to vent. It was obvious. The weird atmosphere around them?"

"Annabeth's smart. How did she not catch on?"

"I hid it pretty good during the quest. Besides," she sighed smiling, "papa said I've a long life ahead."

"Aww, you call your father papa?!" Harris laughed and squeezed her cheeks.

"Argh, shut up."

Harris smiled and said, "Well, he's right though." He stared at her for some time and cleared his throat. "When do I get to experience your solo performance?"

Y/N laughed, "All in right time my friend."


	20. Chapter 20

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth and Percy were spreading a picnic blanket and Y/N was working on spreading picnic blankets with Ruby and fighting on which colour looked better, Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost like college kid. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

Percy tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn't every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying good-bye. He'd only known Grover a year, yet he was my oldest friend.

Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on. Y/N and Grover both pulled each other's cheeks. She said, "Thank you Grover." He nodded his head, as he knew what she was talking about. "And take care of yourself or else I don't know about Pan but you surely will find me coming to hit you." Grover laughed and nodded his head.

Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?"

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway-nothing like the little runty boy Percy used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped me on the shoulder, and finally gave a hug to Y/N, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going- I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"Heck yeah we will," Y/N said, smiling. Almost like she wasn't just trying to console others, but was also trying to believe it herself.

Percy tried to believe it. The fact that no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years ... well, he decided not to think about that. Grover would be the first. He had to be.

July passed.

Percy spent his days devising new strategies for capture-the-flag and making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of Ares's hands. He got to the top of the climbing wall for the first time without getting scorched by lava. 

From time to time, he'd walk past the Big House, glance up at the attic windows, and think about the Oracle. He tried to convince himself that its prophecy had come to completion.

Other times, he would come up with ways to ask out Annabeth, but whenever she appeared it felt like this expectation was wrong. Grover did tell him about her feelings but...it wasn't enough. How was he going to ask her out? When the Apollo kids sang in amphitheatre? During capture-the-flag? Does he need to do all the mushy flowers and chocolate thing too? It was confusing but he wanted it to be something that wouldn't embarrass him in the future. 

Y/N soon got determined as Apollo's daughter with his symbol, when a golden sun with 21 rays made of arrows appeared over her head. She moved from her cabin, something Ruby looked happy about. I mean, don't get it wrong- she adored Y/N but both realized having a spacious room is much better than having a congested one, and fighting with each other half of the time. Other than her, Harris was the only person who genuinely looked bummed out. Y/N just laughed and said, "Hey, we can meet whenever you want you know?! I mean, if we don't have work to finish." She did hear a couple of kids tease him about it, but she was kind of used to it by now. 

The last night of the summer session came all too quickly.

The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of their dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

Percy and Y/N got their own leather necklace, and saw the bead for their first summer. The design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center for Percy. While Y/N's was pitch black, with a golden sun shining in the center. 

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause. 

Y/N didn't get cheers but she was glad about it. She didn't like the overwhelming attention. Besides it wasn't her quest to begin with.

Percy was not sure he'd ever felt as happy or sad as he did at that moment. He'd finally found a family, people who cared about him and thought he'd done something right. And in the morning, most of them would be leaving for the year.

Harris joined her again in the amphitheatre. He wanted to talk before he left.

"Sorry, I guess there wasn't much cheer for you," he said, "almost none."

"Trust me, it's better this way. Imagine announcing 'Y/N! Congratulations on solving your daddy issues!'. It would be very embarrassing."

"Well if you put it like that," Harris asked chuckling, "Hey I uh- I don't know if you've heard about this but don't listen to-"

"-the gossip about us? About me jumping onto you immediately after Percy and Annabeth started a thing going on?" Y/N laughed, "It's so weird that these are the same kids who care about me."

"They'll back-bitch you but won't back-stab you for sure," Harris laughed.

"Where do you live?"

"New York City, where else?"

"Good! Me too! Can I visit you?"

"Are you sure? Monsters might smell us."

"I'm sure we can take them down together."

"Really?" Y/N said, "You would be the first guy visiting my home. Sorry if my dad kind of comes off as rude."

"I can make him like me."

"Oh~ What are you planning?"

"I'm planning to watch you sing in a stadium in one of the school fests you have."

"You're really fixated on hearing me sing, aren't you?"

"Yep, I deserve it."

"You do," Y/N laughed, "Well, meet me back in new york and I'll think about the solo performance."

"Really?" Harris asked. 

They talked for a long time after that. Ruby joined them too. It was the last night they were going to talk before they went away in their own homes, so Y/N wanted to treasure the time.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This is the last chapter! I finished writing this book a while back and decided to upload it here. I hope you liked it! Second book is in progress, so I'll probably upload it when I finish it.

There were screams. Before Y/N could realize what was going on, she got dragged aside by Harris who informed her about the situation. About Percy. She was packing her belongings ready to go when she got the news. Immediately going to the sickroom, she assisted Chiron in healing him as much as she could. But her energy depleted and she fell unconscious after a while.

Percy woke with a drinking straw in his mouth. He was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate-chip cookies. Nectar.

He opened my eyes.

He was propped up in bed in the sickroom of the Big House, his right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Annabeth sat next to him, holding my nectar glass and dabbing a washcloth on his forehead.

"Here we are again," he said.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, which is how he knew she was overjoyed to see me conscious. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing ..."

"And Y/N. Besides," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of his bed in human form, which was why he hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale, the way it did when he'd been up all night grading Latin papers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, he told them the story.

The room was quiet for a long time.

"I can't believe that Luke ..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him.... He was never the same after his quest."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods-"

"Won't even talk about Kronos," he snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

Percy didn't like it, but part of him suspected Chiron was right. One look at his hand, and he knew he wasn't going to be sword fighting any time soon. "Chiron ... your prophecy from the Oracle ... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Annabeth?"

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place-"

"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"

His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. "You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you ..."

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.

"All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!"

He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy said.

"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long."

Chiron put his hand on his ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice....But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."

Percy wanted to protest. He wanted to ask him more questions. But his expression told there could be no more discussion; he had said as much as he could.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."

He glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and, my dear ... whenever you're ready, they're here."

"Who's here?" Percy asked.

Nobody answered.

Chiron rolled himself out of the room. He heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.

Annabeth studied the ice in the drink.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked her.

"Nothing." She set the glass on the table. "I ... just took your advice about something. You ... um ... need anything?"

"Yeah." Percy blushed and fiddled his fingers, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I mean you don't have to accept-"

"Yes."

"W-What?"

"I know what you want to ask. Everyone has been talking about it."

"Who? Y/N?"

"What? No, besides it would be natural for you to think so after knowing how she knew about you mother but she had your best interest in mind."

"....She knew what?" Percy was fuming. He suspected her after he got to know how Apollo kids are usually knowledgeable about these stuffs but, he wasn't sure yet. Somehow, his mind being blogged with Luke's betrayal also started filling with anger thinking how she was partly like him too.

"Wait...what?" Annabeth stuttered, "She didn't...tell you yet?"

"Help me up. I want to go outside."

"Percy, that isn't a good idea."

He slid his legs out of bed. Annabeth caught him before he could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over him.

Annabeth said, "I told you ..."

"I'm fine," He insisted. He didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid while Luke was out there planning to destroy the Western world, and with Y/N being his friend for the longest time, and still keeping it a secret while he was feeling heartbroken about his mother.

He managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time they reached the porch, his face was beaded with sweat. He made it all the way to the railing.

Y/N was just standing there, putting her weight on the railings. She looked weak.

It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.

"What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked him.

"You lied to me about my mom," he said as he reached Y/N.

Y/N looked taken aback and shifted her eyes towards Annabeth who was apologizing to her with her eyes, "I didn't lie," Y/N said looking back to Percy, "I wasn't sure myself, how was I supposed to tell you an inaccurate information?"

"Maybe it would've given me hope?! Did you think about that? Hope to see my mother alive?!"

"I get it you're angry but if I told you and it turned out to be false, wouldn't you blame me for giving you false hope?"

"I wouldn't! I would know that you atleast tried to help me through it!"

"You say that now but let's be honest. Just like you are right now? You would've been pissed at me there too," Y/N sighed, "You can't help it. It's your mother."

"You know what? You are almost as bad as Luke. Keeping secrets like this while we were on a dangerous quest?!"

"How about you?" Y/N asked, raising her tone and furrowing her eyebrows, "Did you tell us everything Percy?"

He stayed quiet for a while. It was true what she said. He kept secrets on multiple occasions until it was absolute necessary to spill it.

"Thought so," she said and looked away, "You can be angry all you want but I don't have the energy to fight with you. I did it as you friend, and whether you accept it as the truth or not is up to you."

Percy felt a bit bad about his behavior. She did sign up to the quest to keep them safe. Not only that, she tried her best to keep all of them sane with her bright personality. And she assisted Chiron to heal him. Her whole weak demeanor right now was _because of him_.

He sighed and said, "You know what, I'm sorry. My mom's safe now and that's all that matters."

Percy turned to Annabeth and told her how he got the feeling Chiron wanted him to stay year-round, to put in more individual training time, but he wasn't sure that's what he wanted. He admitted he'd feel bad about leaving her alone, though, with only Clarisse for company....

Annabeth pursed her lips, then said quietly, "I'm going home for the year, Percy."

He stared at her. "You mean, to your dad's?"

She pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a family stood silhouetted-two little children, a woman, and a tall man with blond hair. They seemed to be waiting. The man was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had gotten from Waterland in Denver.

"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth said. "Just like you suggested. I told him ... I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided ... we'd give it another try."

"That took guts."

She pursed her lips. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least ... not without sending me an Iris-message?"

Percy managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."

"When I get back next summer," she said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"

"Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena."

She held out her hand. Percy shook it and pulled her in for a kiss. It was kind of weird for it being their first kiss, kind of like a peck.

"Take care, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told him. "Keep your eyes open."

"You too, Wise Girl."

As Annabeth walked close to Y/N she asked, trying to smile, "You guys are.."

"..yeah, together." Annabeth said, her smile faltering for a second but it was back again. "I'm sorry I didn't know-"

"It's fine. I was planning to tell him before I left anyway. I gave him a hint once but I guess he didn't get it. I can't carry the weight of it for that long."

"Okay, take care." She hugged Y/N and left.

They watched her walk up the hill and join her family. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree, then allowed herself to be lead over the crest and into the mortal world.

Once again, Y/N felt alone. All of her friends are gone. Luke betrayed them, Percy was angry, Grover was gone to search for Pan and Annabeth was going to be too busy.

"When are you making it official?" she asked turning to Percy.

"I don't know," he sighed, "next year if I'm alive."

"You will be." Y/N said looking down, remembering his little act before with Annabeth. She felt weak and didn't have the strength to hold back her tears anymore.

"Hey...are you crying?" Percy asked, looking at her.

"Uh..it's just that I feel really weak and sleepy."

"It's because of me isn't it?"

Y/N's heart stopped for a moment. She asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, for healing me? It took a lot of your energy."

"Oh.." Y/N sighed in relief, "Yeah, um I would get better with practice, I promise."

"I know you will." Percy said and left to his cabin.

Y/N stood there for a minute, looking at his cabin with tears still streaming down her eyes. She didn't know if it would've been better to just confess and get it over with.

But, she didn't want him to worry any more than he already was. She turned to cabin seven, the Apollo cabin and decided to pack her bag.

A year without him around will help her forget him...right?


End file.
